To Fly Straight and True
by DreadCraft
Summary: For gman391's Kitsune Archer Challenge. Iruka dies on graduation day, profoundly impacting Naruto. Journey with Naruto as he strives to make his late teacher proud. For certain, his new found drive will either land true or lead him astray.
1. A Murder in the Forest

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor have any intention of profiting from the intellectual property of Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Act I: Rites of Passage  
**

"Run, Naruto. Don't let Mizuki have the 'Scroll of Sealing'!" Those were the orders Naruto had received. So he ran. The diminutive blond boy was garbed completely in bright orange and had three gash-like marks on each cheek. Married to a face that had not lost all its infant form, the overall effect was a comically childish, slightly mischievous, and somewhat endearing countenance.

Traipsing through the forest, concerning thoughts came to his mind. _"What if Iruka-sensei loses? They still think I stole the scroll"_ Mildly panicked, Naruto turned around with the intention of possibly aiding his teacher. _"Hopefully this stupid thing can help me. I only learned one _jutsu_ out of it. It's got to be enough."_ Up ahead, he could see his teacher – both of them. Mizuki had crept up stealthily behind Naruto's ally, ready to strike. In desperation, Naruto sped up to try to help his teacher. _"Damn it! I wish I had something to reach him from here."_

Well shy of reaching his teachers, Mizuki struck. His over-sized _shuriken_ found purchase, spilling blood and driving Iruka to the ground. "No!" Mizuki heard the keening wail. He turned to the voice. Naruto, not even twenty yards away now, fell to his knees. Mizuki could see the tears running down the boy's face.

"How touching. A demon sheds tears for his sensei." Mizuki scoffed. "Why even bother? You're the nine-tailed demon fox that attacked the village twelve years ago and killed Iruka's parents. Can you imagine that he cared for you at all?" Mizuki continued his verbal torment.

A hot, heady sensation bubbled up within Naruto. Instead of the desired effect of breaking down the young boy, it was beginning to anger him. Mizuki was interrupted from his tirade by a furious cry. "Shadow clone _jutsu_!" Where once there was one little boy, there stood an army - one that descended upon Mizuki with fists aplenty. There were hundreds of them. Mizuki was a skilled fighter but the sheer number overwhelmed him until he was crushed under the weight of their collective anger.

Naruto's rage settled, he turned to the body of his teacher. He crawled over and turned over the body, removing the offending weapon lodged in Iruka's back. To Naruto's surprise, Iruka coughed in a squirt of black blood. His skin looked pale and drawn, and his breathing was labored. "Iruka-sensei, you're alive!" Naruto embraced his _sensei_.

Iruka examined his wound with a hand. It came back slick with black blood. _"Liver hit, no wonder I feel like shit."_ Realizing his time was running out, the teacher took off his headband and pressed it to Naruto's hands. "Don't believe what he told you. You have the demon in you, but that doesn't make you a demon. You came back for me. You'll always be one of my best students. I was like you once. I was an orphan. My parents died in the Kyuubi attack. I played pranks to feel connected, to feel like I mattered. You don't have to be afraid of the loneliness. Just be the best ninja you can be. The rest will take care of itself. Don't be afraid…" His voice trailed off as life left his body.

Naruto looked down at his teacher's body. His horizontal scar over his nose gave him character the way Naruto's whisker marks did. It also served to remind Naruto this man was a true ninja who had 'seen the elephant' in his career. He was a man to be respected. He broke bread with the one that contained his family's killer, Naruto realized after this night. _"Heh, he even paid for it."_ Naruto thought wistfully. Iruka had always known when Naruto was up to no good. It was a legacy of his own pranking days. Iruka grew up an orphan, same as Naruto. He pranked for the same reasons. He outgrew these childish impulses. Now it was time for Naruto to grow up too. _"I'm sorry Iruka-sensei, I'll make you proud from now on..."_

* * *

A few days later, Naruto found himself standing in front of the Hokage. His liege lord was a tired looking old man. Liver spots were prominent on his face, but he looked every bit the wizened, sagely portrait of a leader of men. "Examination of the evidence revealed that Mizuki was a traitor working for a very bad man. I know it wasn't your fault, Naruto." The boy just stared back mutely. "I know Iruka gave you his _hitai-ite_, keep it. I'll agree to your promotion to the rank of _genin_." That got a wan smile from the boy. The next bit would be harsher. "There's a problem though. We have an appropriate number of graduates, so you'll have to wait for a team." This bit received near hysteria from Naruto.

"What do you mean old man? How am I going to train to get stronger or go on missions without a team?" Naruto voiced in panicked disdain. A runty little boy in a blanket cape scuttled into the room whilst brandishing a kunai just then. He ran at the Third Hokage as if to attack, but tripped on his ridiculous cape.

"Hey! Who did that?" The boy looked around and saw only Naruto. Assuming the older boy was somehow responsible, the bratty looking kid was incensed. "Is this guy one of your ninja gramps? He's good. He stopped me from getting you. I'll be back though, and I'll get you next time." Just then, a bespectacled man in standard _jounin_ uniform ran into the room.

He took stock of the scene at hand. "Young master, you should not be disturbing your grandfather when he has business to attend to. Come with me and I'll train you to be the great ninja you told me you wanted to be." The _jounin_ was a tall, severe looking man with dark hair. He picked up the child and bore him away.

Naruto mutely considered the display. _"Weird."_ He considered his current dilemma and re-focused himself. Just as he prepared to argue for some recourse that could salvage his career, he spotted the smirk on the old warlord's face.

The old man took a few puffs on a pipe before setting it down. "I can't give you a team currently, but I'll make you a deal. I'm giving you a long-term C-ranked mission. The _jounin_ that was just here was Ebisu – my grandson's tutor. You mission will be to aid Ebisu in his duties and train alongside my grandson in the meantime. I'll also promise to slot you into a team as soon as one becomes available. Is this acceptable?"

Though phrased as a question, Naruto was at least smart enough to recognize this was an order and likely the best he could get. "Yes, Lord Hokage, I accept."

* * *

A/N

Here's a fun lesson for all of you. I see a lot of authors mixing languages like they were using two primary languages. It's not really supposed to happen, as the industry standard goes. You write in one language. Any words (except proper nouns) you transliterate, loanwords, calques, and so forth usually need a shift in format (i.e. italics). I don't know why anyone would make their characters speak in English but switch to Japanese just to say 'yes'. Techniques are fine, since the literal translation doesn't always do it justice, but still…


	2. Lessons Learned

Feeling somewhat hopeful, Naruto reported to the Third Hokage's estate the next day. Ebisu was waiting at the door for him, presumably to further brief him on his unorthodox assignment. Naruto regarded his immediate superior. He knew little about the man. He'd earned a _jounin's_ uniform, which Iruka had taught Naruto to respect. His lanky frame, and _hitai-ite_ worn as a cap didn't make him look very intimidating though.

Naruto arrived just after dawn to speak with Ebisu while Konohamaru was still asleep. Surely it would be a bad idea to discuss the target of the mission while he was around to listen.

"Good morning Ebisu." Naruto hesitated. "How should I address you?" The blonde asked.

Ebisu looked lost in thought for a second but smiled and answered. "Since you are my subordinate for a mission, and not an apprentice or _genin_ trainee, I suppose _–sempai_ or _–taicho_ would suffice." Ebisu used the terms for 'senior colleague' and 'captain' respectively. "You mission is to simply play two roles. You will be expected to be a babysitter and a role model. As this is a mission, misbehavior isn't just a nuisance but insubordination and possibly mutiny. Is that clear?" Naruto nodded soberly. "Though you do not have a team yet, you are a fledged _genin_ and it will be expected that you act with some manner of professionalism."

"Understood, Ebisu-sempai."

* * *

The day would see Naruto quite irritable. Young Konohamaru was still in the early stages of his education, which includes quite a bit of book knowledge. Poor Naruto had to sit through lectures and pretend that he cared and believed in its importance. Ebisu lectured on languages, mathematics, history, and other scholarly pursuits. As if by osmosis, however, the ideas being discussed by Ebisu began to coalesce in Naruto's mind. _"Why does Hidden Cloud covet bloodlines? Well, because bloodlines are useful, powerful, and quite cool, duh! Having more tricks means you can handle bad guys better. Even I know that." _

Ebisu could tell Naruto was bored out of his mind. He was actually quite impressed that the young _genin_ had been as patient as he had been thus far. Instead, it was Konohamaru that snapped. "I've had enough of this, you stupid fake. You said you'd train me so I can beat my gramps and become _hokage_." Before Ebisu could respond, Naruto beat him to the punch.

"You dumb brat." Naruto cuffed the child over his ear. "If you're too stupid to learn this stuff, it's no wonder you tripped over your cape when you tried to take on the old man."

Ebisu, although somewhat agreeing with Naruto, was horrified at his treatment of the Third Hokage's grandson. "Naruto, control yourself. You shouldn't be hitting the young master outside of spars." The self-important child leered up at Naruto, daring him to carry on as he did before.

"Fine, let's have a spar if that's alright with you, Ebisu-sempai." Naruto asked his mission leader acrimoniously. This surprised Ebisu. He would have thought a hothead like the Kyuubi's _jinchuuriki_ would have the self control use that loophole purposefully. Against all good sense, Ebisu agreed.

Though only a rookie _genin_, Naruto was considerably more mature in body and chakra than his young charge. It was like an ant against an elephant. Even having the restraint not to harm the boy severely, Naruto tossed him around like a rag doll. Eventually, Konohamaru exhausted himself and collapsed in a heap crying where Naruto socked him one last time for good measure, giving the boy a shiner over his left eye. He looked up at the older boy. "Why are you so much stronger than me? Do you have a secret, a shortcut?"

Naruto looked down on him disdainfully. "I was the bottom-feeder of my class. You're just weak. I'm not surprised either. 'Shortcut' this and 'shortcut' that, you're lazier than my classmate Shikimaru. He slept all the time! Your gramps is the best because he went out and took everything he has. He never expected anyone to give it to him the way you do, Konohamaru."

Ebisu coughed as if to clear his throat. "While I don't agree with Naruto-kohai's methods, he is essentially correct. Young master, your grandfather painstakingly learned all the ninja arts he could gain a hold of. It would behoove you to do likewise if you wish to surpass him. My teachings, as tedious as they may be, are just that."

* * *

"I apologize for that display Naruto-kohai. I suppose it is my fault. In order to teach the young master anything, I keep having to pass lessons off as 'shortcuts' lest he ignore me." Ebisu admitted to his subordinate.

Naruto paced a while, showing his agitation. "I think it'd help if you called him by his name. That 'young master' just pisses him off, I think."

Ebisu looked troubled. "Why would you say that?"

Naruto replied. "I know what it's like. People look at me and think 'Kyuubi'. People look at him and think 'the Third Hokage'. It'd be cool if people would see just us."

Ebisu was dumbfounded. _"Of course, I should have seen it myself." _Ebisu smacked himself in the face. "I think you may be right Naruto-kohai. By the way, lord Hokage asked that you stay until he comes home. He wishes to speak to you. See you tomorrow." The _jounin _pushed up his spectacles in his own unique fashion and walked off. All the while, the _tokubetsu jounin_ idly considered that he'd underestimated his subordinate. _"He's more of a ninja than I expected him to be. He did his duty well."_

* * *

The Sarutobi estate was a _buke-zukuri _style home. The estate was made of multiple, interconnected sliding paper-and-wood buildings. Naruto waited for the Hokage on the veranda of the _shinden_ or central building. "You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked.

"Oh?" The Hokage replied with surprise. "You aren't calling this old man an old man any longer?"

Naruto looked abashed. "I thought I wasn't supposed to anymore."

"You can when it's just the two of us, but it would be nice to get some respect in public." The old war chief laughed.

Even though the old man wasn't trying to be particularly amusing, Naruto felt the sudden need to release his pent-up emotions in a gale of laughter. "Alright, old man, thanks for letting me." The boy continued laughing even as the Hokage interrupted with more important news.

"Iruka-sensei's funeral will be held two days from now. I know that you wanted to attend. Your graduating class will be there too."

* * *

There were maybe only a hundred people in attendance at Iruka's funeral. He was still a relatively young man when he died. Neither had he been teaching for long. Perhaps there were half a dozen classes there. Naruto's class, however, remembered him most vividly of all. They were his last. The tears shed that day were too few for a man that gave his life for the village.

The ceremony would be in two parts. Iruka's body would be burned in a pyre then his name carved onto the cenotaph.

As Naruto watched Iruka burn, he couldn't help but lament the wasted opportunities when he was alive. _"Most of all, Iruka was honorable. He understood duty and honor. He could have been kicking ass and taking awesome missions, but he stayed at the academy and taught us. He took a humble duty and poured his soul into it, because he believed in us and in the 'Will of Fire'. He never played favorites, even against the kid that carried his family's killer."_

After the flames died out, the procession made their way to the cenotaph. Already there was a masked _jounin_ with his _hitai-ite_ slanted so that it covered one eye. He was tall and lean with silver hair. It seemed like he had been there even before the procession. For the most part, he was ignored - except by three people. Sasuke and Sakura he knew from the academy. There was also a third member that Naruto did not associate with much. _"Guess that guy must be their _jounin-sensei_."_ He saw the _jounin_ lay his hand on Sakura's shoulder and whisper something in her ear. She gave him a hug before walking away. _"If Iruka-sensei was here, he'd have something to say to me. I swear I'll make you proud."_

Naruto was bumped from behind, interrupting his thoughts. He looked back to see the Hokage. The old man surprised everyone by taking time out of his day to come to the funeral of a simple _chuunin_. "Naruto, I'd like for you to be a live-in trainer for Konohamaru-kun. Ebisu said that Konohamaru-kun was unusually attentive today. I believe you've been a good influence on him."

_"If only the old man knew what I did to the brat to bring him to heel."_

_

* * *

_

Author Profiles: Lord of the Land of Fire

He's one of my favorite authors on this site. His stories include quite a bit of humor and "warm and fuzzy feelings". That is, you feel like you're reading a fairy tale sometimes. He's very much 'rah rah' when it comes to his main protagonist (mostly Naruto). You can be sure that nearly all his stories will feature Naruto as a can't fail uber-hero. His strength is his ability to ensure that the good guy wins and gets the girl while making you feel like you still read a story with a worthwhile conflict. It's as close as you can come to wish fulfillment. His Shakespeare-esque ability to give the audience what they want is unparalleled. Next Week's Author: Geor-sama.


	3. Fool's Rebirth

Naruto's time spent as assistant instructor to the Hokage's grandson was often more beneficent to himself than the object of his mission. The classroom milieu brought Naruto back to his academy days. He wistfully thought about it, despite his ill reception towards circumstances back then. He longed for those days if for no reason other than the fact that Iruka was alive back then. _"It's sad, but I think Iruka-sensei was the closest thing I'll ever have to a father."_

More important than its soothing effect on Naruto's state of mind, Ebisu's instruction continued to sink in. For once in his life, Naruto was beginning to develop a solid foundation. His days progressed is a specific fashion. He'd wake up his charge and prepare him for the day. In the mornings, the boys would endure Ebisu's lecturing on scholastic matters. He would then get an hour at noon for lunch which he regularly spent at Ichiraku. In the afternoon, Ebisu would train them in chakra manipulation. For the younger boy, this meant chakra theory and basic control. For Naruto, as an active ninja, he would receive more advanced chakra control instruction beginning with tree-walking. Ebisu said that this would turn into _ninjutsu_ lessons as soon as the current phase of training was completed by Konohamaru. Combat training closed out the day. Weapons and hand-to-hand combat – or _taijutsu_ – filled up the late afternoon. Naruto was treated as a punching bag for Ebisu to demonstrate on during this phase. As of late, Naruto had been finding it progressively easier to deal with Ebisu, however.

* * *

The new _genin_ tossed and turned in his bed. _The man-sized, four-sided weapon bit into its target in a spray of blood. _The image plagued the boy's mind in slumber as he jolted awake. _"I'm sorry I couldn't help, Iruka-sensei. I was such a sorry excuse for a ninja."_

Figuring sleep wasn't going to happen for him, Naruto left his room for some fresh air. Outside, he found the Hokage staring off into the distance, puffing on his pipe in iconic fashion. "Couldn't sleep?" Naruto trudged up next to the old war chief and shook his head. "So young to be troubled by one's memories," the Hokage remarked.

"How did you know old man?" Insight struck Naruto. "You're out here for the same reason, aren't you?"

The old man nodded in the affirmative. "I have a lifetime of regrets, but I swear before my last breath I'll set the situation right. What is your regret?"

"Iruka's death keeps replaying over in my mind. I saw Mizuki about to kill Iruka-sensei, but I was out there without even a set of _kunai_ or _shuriken_. If I was even a half decent student, he wouldn't have had to die." Naruto's eyes glazed over in memory. "I tried to run over to help. I wanted to yell out to him¸ but I was afraid. I couldn't reach him…" The young _genin_ huffed and fell silent.

"My boy, let me show you something." The Hokage motioned for Naruto to follow him, and so he did. Naruto followed the old man to a dojo he hadn't used with Ebisu yet. It was a long, open-roof hall with man-shaped targets set up at one end. When the Hokage came back with two bows, Naruto realized it was an archery range. The Hokage took up a strange stance with the bow held high and drew the bowstring far behind his head. He let fly, and the arrow flew a good twenty-five yards into the heart of the target. The Hokage repeated his actions and sent another shaft into the target, driving straight through the first arrow. The first shot was good, the second was unbelievable. "Why don't you give it a try?" Naruto took the weapon and mimicked the Hokage's movements from before. "This bow is called a _yumi_. The core is bamboo laminate, while the back and belly are chakra-enhance fiberglass. It's yours to keep." Naruto let fly with a _ya_ or arrow. It hit the dead center of the practice dummy's head.

* * *

Over the next month, Naruto made noticeable strides in all the ninja arts he practiced at. He especially poured himself into chakra control and _taijutsu_ with his clones. At night he continued to keep himself sharp with his new _yumi._ Cathartically, he found the troubling dreams of Iruka's death stopped after the night the Hokage game him his weapon. Konohamaru, his charge, also saw Naruto's growth and began calling him "boss". Convinced that Naruto was getting things right, the boy would mimic Naruto in just about everything, to Ebisu's pleasant surprise. This meant the runt was that much more attentive in everything he did, just like Naruto.

During an off day for the denizens of the compound, the Hokage received a visit from his son. Asuma Sarutobi walked in on Naruto practicing his archery on a tree that grew in the courtyard in front of the _shinden_. Naruto had a bulls-eye painted on the tree. Asuma saw that the _genin_ had shot arrows so dead center they were stacked on top of each other three deep. Each head was perfectly centered, splitting the shaft of the preceding arrow. He whistled. "Nice shots. Why use a bow though?" The prodigal son asked.

"I just wanted something with good range." The boy shrugged and let loose another shaft. Make it four arrows deep. Asuma threw a _kunai_ at the target, coring straight through Naruto's arrows and out the other side. "How did you do that?" Naruto asked.

Asuma told him. "Wind manipulation. With the wind element, you can add speed, power, and penetration to anything. It's called the attack element."

"Can you give me some pointers?" Naruto asked. I bet it'd work really well with my arrows.

Asuma shrugged. "Why not?" Asuma proceeded to explain how to develop the wind element by cutting progressively harder to cut objects to start the boy off before going inside to speak with his father. Before fully disappearing, he yelled to the boy "Try using your shadow clones. _Because no way in hell is a _genin_ learning nature manipulation without some help."_

_ "What is that guy talking about? Maybe they can watch me and tell me what I'm doing wrong."_ Naruto asked himself. Thinking it couldn't hurt, Naruto made some shadow clones anyways before getting to work. He picked up a leaf and tried to focus his chakra to achieve the desired effect. He was growing frustrated by a lack of progress when a vision struck him. He saw a fist, his own, colliding with his face. Naruto turned to his clones, which had begun sparring with each other out of boredom. "Hey stop that and help me out." He chastised the group.

"How do you want us to do that?" The clones asked. Naruto, however, was lost in thought.

_"I wasn't looking their way. How did I know what they were up to?"_ The _genin_ thought to his self. "Hey guys, why don't we all try this exercise together?" The group complied, curious as to what their progenitor had in mind.

* * *

Weeks later, Naruto had made enough progress where he felt comfortable enough to attempt the trick Asuma had demonstrated. Concentrating his chakra into the arrow, he let loose. It sliced through the air leaving miniature shockwaves in its path before blasting through Naruto's target tree. And the tree behind that. And a boulder. And another tree. And about a two yard divot in the up-sloped ground. _"Wicked cool."_

_"Let's see how far this thing will go."_ Naruto pointed his weapon skyward and loosed. It went farther than he had thought. In mounting panic, Naruto looked onward. _"Oh man, I hope it doesn't land somewhere troublesome."_ This is when Naruto first began his intimate acquaintance with Murphy's Law. A shriek sounded in the far distance. _"That had to be a mile away."_ Naruto ran off in search of the arrow. _"Please don't let it have hit someone. I don't want to start my career as a rogue ninja."_

_

* * *

_

After clearing a straight path through the forest, the terrain gave way to a flowered meadow. The shaft was sticking out of the ground next to a rather angry looking girl who was obviously waiting for him. Approaching her as if she were a wounded, man-eating bear, Naruto crept up and asked her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, but not if had landed a foot to the right." She spoke furiously. "Do I know you from somewhere?" She examined him inquisitively.

"I remember you too… you're Ino Yamanaka. We went to the academy together." Naruto blurted out in recognition.

"No wonder you almost brained me with an arrow. I remember too. You're an idiot!" She shot back.

Knowing he wasn't being falsely accused, he looked at her abashed. "Sorry about that Ino-chan. Let me make it up to you."

She looked thoughtful. "Alright, let's get something to eat then. I'm hungry. Afterwards, we're going shopping and I'm making you ditch that eyesore you wear. You're paying for everything, by the way." She laid out the law. Naruto, being the guilty party, had no choice but to agree.

* * *

Ino chose a sushi restaurant to Naruto's disappointment. Although he knew the chances that she'd choose Ichiraku was almost nonexistent in the first place. He was glad to have been babysitting Konohamaru this whole time. He wouldn't have to face the embarrassment of not being able to pay. Inside, he examined the menu desperately for noodles. In the end, he chose a _kitsune udon_ with _inari-zushi_ and some assorted _nigiri._ Trying to be disapproving was hard, for the food was actually quite good. Surprisingly, he wasn't the one that had to start the dining conversation. "What have you been doing all this time, Naruto?"

"I had a mission babysitting the Hokage's grandson. I've been doing it ever since. I get some good training in, there's plenty of downtime." Naruto told her nonchalantly.

"I thought you failed the graduation test. Why would you call it a mission? You mean you just got a job right?" The 'other' blonde asked.

"Look at my headband. It's real. I got promoted. It's a long story that has to deal with Iruka-sensei's death. The short version is that I helped him catch a bad guy but Iruka-sensei didn't make it. So I'm a _genin_ but I don't get a team yet. This is just a low grade mission to pass the time." Ino nodded at his explanation. "You believe me? I'd have thought you'd never accept the fact that I'm out of the academy the same as you guys."

The girl looked indignant. "Despite the time I spend chasing Sasuke, and he will be mine one day, I'm not a full-time fan girl. My family works with people's minds. I can tell if you're lying. You weren't." She stated pointedly. For once not being treated like the scum of the earth, Naruto found it easier to open up and enjoy himself outside of his goofball persona.

True to her promise though, Ino was adamant that ditching his orange jumpsuit be the final punishment. Naruto was having cold feet upon entering the apparels store. "No, you can't make me."

"You agreed to this already. Stop being a baby." The girl said, trying to shove him through the door. Feeling her unrelenting determination, Naruto shifted tactics.

_"Even Iruka never liked this getup. I guess it's time."_ The blond boy thought. "Can we make a deal?" The girl stopped pushing and looked at him.

"What?"

Putting his hands together in placating gesture, he made his bid. "Can I keep just a little orange, please?" He beseeched his tormentor.

"Whatever's fine as long as it's nothing like this clown outfit."

Eminently relieved, he gave a hug. "Thank you." The boy said over and over in rapid fire speech. Half an hour later, they had agreed on an outfit both found suitable. It was a simple design. Naruto came out in a sleeveless black bodysuit covered in a long, flowing burnt orange trench coat. Ino came out with a bag containing his old clothes. "Hey Ino, what are you going to do with my old clothes?"

"The rest of the class has an ongoing bet. Whoever got you to ditch your wardrobe gets paid fifty _ryo_ - and we're all burning it in a bonfire." Naruto was incredulous as to the hate his clothing received. He said his goodbyes and departed for the Sarutobi estate.

Naruto returned as night fell. He met the Hokage returning from 'the tower' as well. "It's good I found you, Naruto-kun. I have news for you." The _genin_ perked up in interest. "I've found a team for you. Cell seven lost a member. You can have a team now."

* * *

Author Profiles: Geor-sama

Geor-sama is an author with a great depth of knowledge compared to LOTLOF. You get the feeling his storytelling is richly filled or fleshed out compared to most authors. He also applies a high level of realism and it's sobering to read at times. His plots are well conceived and complex. The only thing he suffers from is going overboard in how richly he decorates the landscapes of his stories. In _Shinobi Wars_, my head is starting to spin from the multitude of names and angles that he's throwing down. It's a hairs breadth from losing cohesion, but it's a fun ride nonetheless. Next Week's Author: dave-d


	4. Transitions

A/N: Although this is a Naruto/Ino pairing, I'm not exactly a pure idealist. That will be the relationship with the most staying power and relevancy. It doesn't mean they get together early and stay together throughout happily ever after. So I warn you to read the story for its own merit, not whether it fulfills your personal vested interest in what you think Naruto should be.

* * *

Moving on was hard. Naruto had become acclimated to staying with the Sarutobi family and studying under Ebisu. His lease had run out where he lived before, so Naruto found himself looking for a new apartment. His regular pay and nonexistent expenses over the last couple months meant he could afford to stay at a better place. He moved to a furnished apartment near the administrative heart of the village – the Hokage Tower. Though it wasn't exactly lavish, it was clean, comfortable, and a step up from his usual arrangements. It was a one bedroom affair just right for a young bachelor. All he had to bring were a couple bags of clothes, weapons, and personal items. The kitchen was clean with all appliances functioning. Naruto knew to get settled in all at once; tomorrow was a new beginning for his ninja career.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha silently awaited the inevitable. Life, in his estimation, was not kind. His team consisted of a couple sycophants – Sakura and Kota. Kota died pathetically on their first C-ranked mission. The team had gone to a town near the Rice Country border to pick up a list of _chuunin exam_ candidates from some backwater new village. The fool wandered off by himself and got lost on the wrong side of the border. Some Sound ninja gave back the body saying he had been caught trespassing. Sasuke was actually hopeful that the team would be broken up and he'd have the individual attention of his _jounin_ sensei. Kakashi Hatake was strong and could probably teach him a thing or two. Instead, Sasuke was disappointed to learn he would have to keep Sakura and gain another dead-weight nobody. His pink teammate approached him. "Sasuke-kun, I was wondering…"

_"I hate my life."_ The moody child thought to himself.

Just then, a black and orange garbed person, about his age, and carrying a bow came up to him. "Are you guys Team Seven?" the kid asked. He considered the two of them. They hadn't changed much since the academy. Sasuke Uchiha was as aloof as ever. He wore his usual dark blue jacket and light colored shorts. The Uchiha clan symbol was prominent on his clothing. Sakura was much the same compared to what Naruto recalled. He reflected on how he pursued her at the academy. His ardor was dimmed by life's lessons, but not gone. She for her usual rose colored dress. Her lustrous pink hair cascaded down her back. _"Maybe it's too much to hope for, but let's see if I can impress them."_

"Yeah." The girl answered for him. "Hey, aren't you that Naruto kid that failed the academy?"

The blond boy looked sheepish but confirmed it. "I didn't really fail, but I am the kid you're thinking of." The boy gave them a grin. "Anyways, it seems I'm on your team now. I'm the replacement."

_"Great. There're more idiots for me to deal with."_ Sasuke thought. Just then, their _jounin_ leader showed up.

"Yo." The older man drawled. "I see you guys have already met Kota's replacement. Naruto, why don't you introduce yourself?"

The new team member shrugged but complied. "You guys already know me. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, friends, _kyuudo_, and the color orange. My dream is to become Hokage one day. So not much has changed since the academy, right?" The boy japed.

"Okay, down to business." The _jounin_ told them laconically. "I need to see how you three work together." He held up a single sleigh bell on a piece of wire. "You three have to come up with a way of getting this from me within the hour. Use any and all means available." Their squad leader then backed up a few yards to make room.

"You guys have known him longer than I have. What should we do?" Naruto asked the other two _genin_. Naruto also made his own observations. This was the same man he saw at the cenotaph. The _jounin_ appeared casual... laid-back. He wore just the generic _jounin_ uniform of baggy dark blue pants and shirt with ensigns sewn into the shoulders.

The Uchiha walked past Naruto bumping his shoulder in unfriendly fashion. "Just stay out of my way. You two are fucked. I'll try to get the bell myself. It probably won't work though, Kakashi's good." The last Uchiha carefully advanced on the _jounin_ with Sakura trailing after him as if to offer support.

_"Damn. Sasuke is even more a bastard than usual. He hasn't changed at all, at least not for the better…"_ Naruto continued to just observe the interplay between his teammates and Kakashi. Sakura threw a _kunai_ at him, which he simply caught in one hand without even trying. _"At least the bastard wasn't lying when he said this guy is good."_ Naruto silently made a few dozen clones and formed a cordon around the brewing conflict. Sasuke engaged the older ninja in hand-to-hand combat in an attempt to wrest possession of the bell away from him. From what Naruto could see, Sasuke was about as good as himself in _taijutsu_, maybe a little better. The _jounin_ was easily handling him, however.

Kakshi Hatake was a veteran of many missions, battles, and even wars. These kids were okay, but they would have to change their thinking to achieve their objective. His one exposed eye flicked towards the new addition to his team every so often. So far, Naruto had done little more than make a perimeter of clones. Sasuke swung a ridgehand, a straight kick, backhand, then palm strike in quick succession – all of which Kakashi blocked without effort while maintaining his distance. His eye flicked over to Naruto again. The blonde was taking action. He readied and arrow, preparing to fire. Kakashi anticipated an incoming arrow. _"Catching arrows is a little harder than catching throwing weapons, but I should be fine. Never took this kid for a long ranged fighter though."_ The boy released the arrow. To Kakashi's surprise and horror, it was going a lot faster than he anticipated. _"He's using wind chakra! I can't dodge that. I'll have to use a substitution."_ Hurrying the technique, Kakashi barely pulled it off in time – at least to save his life.

_"Bingo! I got it."_ Naruto rejoiced. A clone retrieved the arrow with the bell impaled on its tip. The clone held up the arrow so Kakashi could see. The other members of Team Seven looked on in shock. The failure just outdid them both.

* * *

Sasuke squared off against Naruto with unspoken respect where once there was only disdain. With some caution, Sasuke probed at Naruto with fists and feet. The blond fended off the attack and responded in turn. The boys were evenly matched until Sasuke turned up the heat. They were still evenly matched, but with renewed aggression, Sasuke took up the initiative. Naruto was stronger and hardier. Sasuke was more skilled. But in this moment, Sasuke was the predator, Naruto was the prey. Fist after fist and leg after leg bombarded the blond who, for his part, blocked most of the blows. A few did land though, enticing the Uchiha scion further.

_"The bastard is still pretty good. I have to change the game. He's not dumb enough to let up and let me use my bow."_ The orange shrouded _genin_ made a cross with the index and ring finger of each hand. In a cacophony of smoky puffs, a horde of clones appeared. Individually, in twos, or even in threes Sasuke could overwhelm the solid clones. But he paid dearly for every clone he extinguished. Each time one puffed out of existence, a foot or fist would connect from one of its fellows. That wasn't even accounting for the original who was nearly a match by himself. Neither did Sasuke have the durability to withstand the furious assault.

After several minutes of fighting, Sasuke was nearly spent. _"There's only a few left, but I can barely stand anymore. Fuck."_ Kakashi called a stop to the exercise as Sasuke lost consciousness.

"Wow! Sasuke went through a lot of clones before he crapped out." Sakura looked like she'd just seen space aliens doing a vaudevillian act.

Kakashi made a "hmm" sound as if he were considering something. "I'd ask you to spar against Sakura, but I think I know how that'd turn out." She bowed her head slightly in shame. If Naruto could beat Sasuke, what could he do to her? The _jounin_ gave one of his patented smiling eyes. "I'll take care of these two. You can go now Naruto. Come to the tower tomorrow morning. We have a mission."

* * *

The next day found Team Seven in the Hokage's mission room. "Team Seven, your mission is a C-ranked escort to the Land of Waves. Do you accept?" The Hokage spoke in the language of formal mission assignments.

"We do." Kakashi spoke for his team. Through the side door, a meanly dressed man walked through. He was sloppy in manner and appearance, his clothes threadbare in places. He wore a commoner's hat and stank of alcohol.

"I'm Tazuna, master engineer and bridge builder." The man introduced himself before staring down at the younger ninja. "I have to pay to be protected by three kids?" The man asked disdainfully. "I thought ninja were babysittin' me, not the other way around. How's the older guy goin'ta protect me if he's busy wiping noses?"

Before the last of his words left Tazuna's lips, the _genin_ of Team Seven were visibly angry. Naruto, being the boldest and most vocal of the three, voiced his displeasure at Tazuna's disrespectful words. "Gramps, each of us could probably kill a hundred of you without breaking a sweat. Sakura-chan and this dark bastard graduated at the top of our academy class. I learned _kyuudo_ from Hokage-sama himself." Naruto said, stretching the truth a bit for his own part. Tazuna, unimpressed, raised a gourd bottle to his lips. Before he could sip, Naruto smoothly knocked his _yumi_ and fired, shattering the bottle. Tazuna was finally impressed when he felt the sake dribbling down his shirt. Naruto smirked as wide as his face.

* * *

A few straight days of travel was wearing on Naruto, making him complacent. He was thinking about the sort of things Naruto would be expected to daydream about – ramen, girls, the title of _Hokage_. Rinse. Repeat.

Sudden commotion broke him from his daydreams. He heard Sakura scream. He glanced over to where he expected Kakashi-sensei to be, but found two belligerent looking men in his place. They had long, three-pronged claws and were connected to each other by a chain. Most worrying of all, they were headed straight for him. Naruto barely gathered his wits in time before they were upon him. Doing much as Kakashi had done, though Naruto didn't know at the time, Naruto used a substitution to trade places with a hurriedly made shadow clone. In a smooth motion, Naruto drew, knocked, and loosed an arrow. It impaled one attacker through his temple. Weighed down by his dead comrade, the other attacker was set upon by Sasuke, who quickly subdued the disadvantaged fighter.

Before Sasuke could finish him, Kakashi reappeared and restrained Sasuke. "I'd like to question him Sasuke." The last Uchiha did as he was told and handed the brute over to Kakashi. The _jounin_ took their enemy away for about an hour. Upon his return, Kakashi walked straight up to Tazuna. "I think we have some things to discuss."

* * *

Author Profile: dave-d

For short stories, dave-d is unparalleled. His stories evocate the same feelings of satisfaction as LOTLOF, but has greater depth and breadth of knowledge than Geor-sama. I would highly recommend reading his work. His plot, character development, and technical proficiency are of professional stature. He has that certain _je ne sais quoi_ where you can read it and have no clue where he's going but you're anticipating the journey with glee. Everything ties together perfectly and imaginatively. His only flaw is that some of his qualities break down somewhat over long stories and it may be difficult for less scholarly people to absorb the richness of his story landscapes.


	5. A Mission of Mercy, A Fight for Survival

"I learned something interesting from that ninja." Kakashi said as a preamble.

The bridge builder tried his best to look nonchalant but was visibly sweating bullets. "Oh?"

"He told me his target was you. Who'd go through the trouble of assassinating an engineer?"

The bridge builder continued his charade. "I haven't a clue why anyone would want to kill me." Kakashi, by this time, was giving a rare glare. It looked as the Tazuna finally got the message.

"My home country is poor. People are starving, homeless, whatever. That's because Gato, the shipping magnate, has a chokehold on all commerce in the country. He's choking off the economy so that he's the only game in town. We can't survive without trade, for most of our land isn't arable. He'll have total control over the country soon. My bridge, threatens his monopoly on all wave country trade." This was Tazuna's full and detailed explanation.

Kakashi voiced his own concerns. "I know of Gato. He's one of the wealthiest men in the world. He has enough money to hire a hundred times the protection you have. This mission would be at least A-ranked if you had been honest."

For Tazuna, each word was a nail in the coffin of every person in Wave Country. Wave country would need a miracle, or two. Or three. Or four.

"Kakashi-sensei, I couldn't live with myself if we didn't try this mission. I don't see how we could go home with our tail between our legs and let an entire country suffer for it." Naruto said to Kakashi. Miracle number one.

Sakura wasn't the top _kunoichi_ in her graduating class for no reason. She knew very well what this mission meant for Tazuna and what would happen to him if he came back without protection. "Kakashi-sensei, I agree with Naruto. Besides, it **would** be in Konoha's benefit for a nearby country to be prosperous. It'd mean more business." Miracle number two.

"We're going." Sasuke said with a scowl. His Uchiha pride wouldn't let him run from a fight. "If we face resistance, it'd be for the better." Miracle number three. Tazuna absently wondered if someone would be getting canonized soon.

_"Shit." _Kakashi Hatake thought to himself. His team would be near mutiny if they turned back. Although he knew that in all good sense they should cancel the mission, it was a rarity for his team to agree on anything. _"Better not waste a gift from the gods."_ The _jounin_ decided in the end. "Alright, we'll continue the mission." He knew he would have a hell of a team… if they survived the mission.

* * *

Team Seven neared the end of their journey, yet not the end of their mission. An associate of Tazuna's had just deposited them on the shores of Wave Country. Its central village, Tazuna's home, lay further inland. Not a mile into their trek, Naruto encountered trouble. A shadow clone deployed forward of their group, had gone down. It did not go unnoticed to Naruto. He nudged his _jounin_ _sensei_, and they traded looks. Naruto was halfway to the ground when Kakashi gave warning to the rest of the group. "Everybody down!"

Naruto felt more than saw the huge cleaver-like sword scything through the air above their heads. A masked hulk in drab clothing was the owner of said _kubikiribouchou_. He had no shirt, only crossing bandolier-like harnesses. It served to show off his impressive physique the like of which was hard earned in combat. He wore striped trousers of light blue the way of Kirigakure ninjas. The enemy ninja narrowed his eyes seeing Kakashi. "Copy-cat Kakashi, who is said to have copied over a thousand _ninjutsu_ with the use of his _sharingan_ eye, I would have never expected to meet someone like you out here in the boonies."

Getting up, Kakashi replied. "Zabuza 'Demon of the Mist' Momochi I presume. He is an A-class rogue ninja originally from Hidden Mist who is said to have killed an entire graduating academy class before even beginning formal training. Also, he is said to be a master of silent assassination." Kakashi said for the benefit of his team. As a _jounin_, he was expected to have knowledge of this world's most dangerous foes. His newbie cadre needed to be disabused of the notion that this was still a controlled situation. "Protect the client, I'll handle him."

Famous last words. Kakashi uncovered his _sharingan_ eye as Zabuza summoned a thick mist. Suddenly, he was in their midst. Kakashi was the first to react, immediately dispatching his target. It dissolved into a puddle of pure water. "Kakashi-sensei, we'll handle the clones, go after him." Naruto said with quiet intensity.

Kakashi ran forward, combining hand seals as he went. A strong gale blew over the frigid battleground, dispelling the mist. The two A-class ninjas engaged each other in hand-to-hand combat. The speed and ferocity shocked all onlookers. The sound of metal clashing against itself was so frequent it was a constant buzz like the jingle of a million bells. Kakashi seemed to be slowly gaining the upper hand. Zabuza was being pushed by under Kakashi's straightforward assault. Backed up to a lake, Zabuza retreated past the water's edge. Kakashi followed him. They fought on top of the water, and then disaster struck. Water clones burst upward from underwater to occupy Kakashi. As he fought them off, Zabuza took the time to use a _ninjutsu_. A sphere of water grew from his hand, encompassing the _jounin sensei_.

Seeing this finally put the fear of God into the minds of the young _genin_ but didn't freeze them up. It was only the sobering realization that fights don't always end the way you want it to. Naruto took a few potshots to try to free his _sensei_. Zabuza's water clones anticipated the action, jumping in front to protect their master. Zabuza seemed to have an endless supply of water to fuel his techniques. The chakra spent would be negligible to him. Naruto looked at Sasuke. A moment of unspoken understanding occurred between them. He handed his sulky comrade a _fuuma shuriken_. "_Are you sure this is going to work?" _Sasuke's look seemed to ask.

_"It's worth a shot."_ Naruto thought back, unsure if the Uchiha heir really understood. He seemed to, for he threw it despite any misgivings he might have had. One of Zabuza's water clones attempted to intercept the projectile. Naruto forestalled that event, snapping off a shot at the clone. The thrown projectile continued on its path straight for Zabuza's head, but the seasoned warrior ducked his head. As it passed, the _shuriken_ burst in a smoky puff to reveal it had been a _henge_ – or transformation – of Naruto. The shadow clone grabbed at Zabuza, catching him around the shoulder, and pulled a _kunai_ on him. Surprised as he was, Zabuza reacted well himself, grabbing the neck with his free hand. The masked killer held the clone in front of him and squeezed the life from the clone, and it dispelled vaporously – only to reveal another arrow coming fast. He dodged, but not fast enough. He cleared his body out of the way, but the arrow bit into his upper arm, clean through the bicep.

The wounded killer glared venomously at the trio of _genin_. However, he had more pressing concerns than his wounded pride. Zabuza swung his _kubikiribouchou_ in a wide arc, forcing Kakashi to back away some. Then Zabuza began forming hand seals. Big mistake. Kakashi launched into his own series of hand seals, his _sharingan _eye spinning as it worked. He could read the flow of Zabuza's chakra, the murderous intent, and the nature of the technique. He finished first. A torrent of water in the shape of a dragon crushed Zabuza under its weight. Zabuza staggered onto his feet, leaning against his weapon, only to be struck down again as a brace of needles struck him sideways.

A porcelain-masked ninja hunter appeared and crouched next to the disabled body. He or she seemed to be a lithe figure dressed in a brown sweater and teal overcoat. "Thank you for weakening him. I've been tracking him down …" The ninja was cut off by Naruto, who fired upon the new entry. Hurriedly, the masked figure grabbed up Zabuza and disappeared.

"Why did you do that for Naruto?" Sakura questioned him.

Unbeknownst to her, Naruto had his reasons. Reasons Kakashi had no qualms with, as he had not spoken out against Naruto's actions. "A clone of mine saw them talking to each other before it was taken out." Indeed, the original clone that had alerted Naruto was actually destroyed by the masked enigma.

"We need to move out," said a fatigued sounding Kakashi. "We can talk about this later." The _jounin _then collapsed.

"Naruto, pick him up. Let's get to the town." Sasuke commanded, taking charge of the conversation. Tazuna said nothing, happy enough to live another day.

* * *

Author Profiles: imadecookies

Not exactly as prominent as the authors featured before, she is still a must read for less obvious reasons. It's not her plotlines, technical knowledge, or sophistication that makes her a worthwhile read. Instead, she's just the most experienced, worldly author I've read yet when it comes to human relationships. Seriously, she should be required reading before anyone tries to write a romance. Just stick to action, adventure, and drama until then.


	6. Mercenaries and Patriots

_The faithful servant watched._

Zabuza collapsed in a heap on a pallet. He had grossly underestimated his enemy. If not for Haku, he'd be dead, along with his ambitions. "Please rest, Zabuza-sama, you've taken considerable damage, even for you." Haku told his master. Before Zabuza could reply, the door to the room was slammed open.

_The faithful servant listened._

"You promised that geezer would be dead as soon as he met you! I'm paying you good money. I thought I was getting the Demon of the Mist, not some pussy who gets his ass handed to him." A fat, stubby man raged. The man was arrogant, uncouth, and soft. He was so soft that it was almost comical. It was apparent to anyone that the soft little man was used to having his way easily. Likely, this sort had never had to dirty his hands with real toil at any point in his decadent life. Yet he spoke as if he had done something to entitle himself the respect of a killer a thousand times over.

"Get out and leave Zabuza-sama alone." The masked one hissed.

Two burly men with swords stepped in front of the pudgy lord-ling. "Who do you think you are talkin' to me like that? I'm Gato! Who do you think has been putting up with you two losers since you got here?" Wounded pride sparked palpable anger.

"Let him be, Haku." Zabuza spoke up at last. "As for you," Zabuza pointed at Gato, "I said I'd kill him, and that's what I'll do, so just shut up and have the money ready."

"Fine, but if you fail again…" Gato let his words trail off, an unspoken threat. He and his guards left the room.

_The faithful servant disappeared in a puff of smoke._

_

* * *

_

Paralleling their foes, the young _genin_ deposited their own leader on a bed, and he laid there in a heap. Luckily, being a builder, Tazuna's home had room to spare.

"What do we do now?" Naruto voiced.

"We do the mission. Protect the bridge builder," Sasuke said sternly.

Sakura nodded along. "We should try to gather what information we can."

"Those guys will be back. It was hard enough fighting Zabuza. Next time, that other guy will be in the fight from the start. We need to train if we're going to fight them again." Naruto added in at the last.

"One trains, one guards, one gathers information; that will be the pattern. Agreed?" Sasuke asked. The others nodded.

* * *

Sakura was amazed. Wandering through the town, it was unnatural and unnerving. It was as if the town was populated by the living dead. Everywhere there was only a half-hearted imitation of life. Stores and shops were closed in the middle of the day. Those that were open had no more than a handful of patrons. Children frittered about in aimless, mirthless play. It made no sense.

Even if they were not wealthy, the land had enough bounty to at least keep the people here hopeful even if prosperity was a ways off. The surrounding seas teemed with aquatic life. The soil around here was of decent quality. Metal and mining might not be a major concern, but lumber was in decent supply. _"Even if it's poor, this place should be fortunate for its self sufficiency."_ Being from a ninja village, Sakura had never seen this type of attitude before. It completely mystified her.

She pocketed her _hitai-ite_ and walked into what looked like a tavern or pub of some sort then asked for some tea. The proprietor set out a tray with a cheap, earthenware tea set on top. "Hello, what's your name?" She asked as friendly as she could manage.

"Tan," was the dry, monosyllabic reply.

Undaunted, she tried for a real answer. "I'm not from around here. Anything I should be aware of?"

"This rich bastard by the name of Gato owns the north side of town. People, especially young girls, disappear up there all the time. I wouldn't suggest going near there." Sakura raised an eyebrow. At least she finally got something from the man.

"I saw some kids running around earlier. Don't they have school or something to go to?" Sakura prodded further.

Tan shook his head. "Ain't worth it. If you start rising too fast, Gato takes notice. He don't like competition. So there ain't much to do but maybe do some fishin', gather some wild fruits, put together a little shack. Have a quiet life and hope he ignores you." The man closed his eyes and gave a wistful sigh. He opened his eyes back up to find a wad of money on the table but no girl in sight.

* * *

_"I'm going to kill this kid."_ Sasuke thought to himself. Tazuna's brat of a grandson had the nerve to ridicule their efforts. Sasuke, the proud last scion of the Uchiha, was especially piqued at the fact this little runt had the audacity to imply that he - a **Uchiha** - was weak. _"As if Gato could ever inspire such fear in a ninja."_ The little runt railed against the hopelessness of their cause, and Sasuke finally snapped. He grabbed the child in a chokehold and threw him against the wall. The boy struggled, his feet dangling in midair. His family looked on in horror. There was a sort of madness in Sasuke's eyes now. "You're a weak foolish child who survives in an unsightly way. Run and cling to life. When you have the same eyes as mine, then you can speak to me in such a manner." He let go of the boy – Inari – and he scampered away in fear.

Calmed down and now reflective, Sasuke pulled out his _kunai_,_ shuriken_, and ninja wire. Just to have something to occupy himself with, Sasuke sharpened, cleaned, and prepared his weaponry. _"Gods be praised. Without duty to clan and village, I might have ended up as such a sniveling weakling."_

_

* * *

_

The orange-garbed _genin_ was fastidious in his training. He maintained accuracy in _kyuudo_, _kunai_, and _shuriken_ making sure to take care of the weapons after practicing them. He then sparred against shadow clones until too weak to continue. Constant, excessive use of chakra built up his stores of energy and hardiness. This was as he had done, every free day, since he became a ninja. _"Ever since Iruka-sensei died…"_

Spent, Naruto dozed off in sleep. He awoke to find himself staring at a face full of lovely features. Lovely features, and too easy of an expression to be the deadly enemy Naruto had battled barely a day earlier. He knew from his shadow clone's work. He knew that his could only end badly, but something his heart told him to say something. He stared at the smooth, porcelain features before him, framed in rich strands of dark hair. The words slowly came.

"Hello. What brings you out here, friend?" Naruto began.

The unknowing enemy continued what he or she was doing, which seemed to be gathering flora of various types. "I'm gathering plants for medicine. Someone close to me is hurt and could use it."

"It seems like you care about this person. You care a lot." Naruto said, hidden meaning still unclear.

"I do. He gave me a purpose. Do you have anyone that close to you?" The androgynous figure asked.

"I did," Naruto replied, "he's dead now." Naruto thought of Iruka.

"That's sad. What do you live for now?"

"His memory. He taught me what it meant to be a warrior – to fight for justice, have compassion, and to fulfill one's duty. So, in a way, I still fight for someone precious to me." Naruto said, with a pointed look at Haku.

Finally understanding, Haku dropped his herbs and a couple _senbon_ – or throwing needles – dropped from his sleeve into his hand. He threw it at Naruto, who substituted himself with a nearby log. Naruto fired back at nearly point-blank range with his bow. The oddly pretty boy dodged with incredible speed. _"She's fast!"_

The genderless one got in close, grabbing at Naruto's _yumi_. The more experienced fighter used the weapon as leverage, throwing Naruto some distance and separating him from his weapon. Now exposed, Haku planned for a _coup de grace_ using his _hyouton_. The un-masked ninja threw a large spear of ice at Naruto, who was still getting up from being thrown. Unable to dodge, Naruto hurled a shuriken instead. Charged with wind chakra, the whirling blade shattered the ice lance and continued straight towards Haku. He jumped clear of the projectiles path, but this cleared the way for Naruto to get his weapon back. Waiting for Haku to come closer so that he could use his speed to greater advantage, Naruto dug his heals in. Just before Haku came into range, Naruto summoned a host of shadow clones. Ready this time, Naruto latched onto Haku and made sure to not lose the advantage of leverage. Holding his foe in place, his clones laid on a physical assault. Haku responded before the army could do too much damage. He thrust his palm straight forward and connected with the tip of Naruto's nose, momentarily stunning the boy in a spray of blood.

_"He's stronger than I expected. I'll have to use my best abilities."_ Focusing, Haku summoned the power of his bloodline again. A dome of ice sheets formed around Naruto, trapping him. He responded with his bow and wind element. Easily, his arrows broke the ice paneling. It was not quick enough, however. As soon as an arrow shattered a panel, Haku would summon a new one. In the meantime, Naruto felt himself pummeled by braces of _senbon_ coming from whatever direction was least favorable to him. The icy needles drew blood and disrupted the flow of chakra. Slowly but surely, he found himself weakening. In the depths of his mind and soul, he railed against the possibility of defeat. Alas, he could feel his strength depleting to dangerous levels. _"Iruka-sensei, give me strength."_

His plea was not heard, at least not by its intended recipient. A provenance of hot anger and terrible power opened up within him. Naruto could feel strength returning to him and more. _"Is this the Kyuubi?" _His chakra flared red and was visible like an open flame around him. The mad caustic power melted away Haku's ice mirrors like butter in a hot pan. Naruto's foe fell from his frozen perch and was leapt upon by the animalistic boy.

* * *

Sakura was just returning to Tazuna's home when she felt the perturbment of rage-filled intent. Both she and Sasuke turned to look at each other before dashing out to find the source of the disturbance.

The two of them found the source, a man-sized monster bathed in an orange glow. "Is that Naruto?" Sakura asked. Sasuke could see his teammate almost suspended in the orange chakra.

For Naruto's part, his inexperience with the Kyuubi proved disastrous. Caught unawares, the beast forced a tail out of the chakra cloak. His persona swam, intertwined with the rage of his demon. Sasuke came forward to inspect the situation more closely. Instinctively, Naruto attacked. Sasuke did not even see what had hit him. One moment he was running, the next he was on the ground, breath knocked out of him. He got up only to have to block another blow. The blow made his arms feel like they had turned to jelly. "What the hell Naruto?" The monster looked at him, not recognizing his teammate.

In the heat of the moment, Sasuke had the startling realization he could die here. He stared up at the bestial form of his teammate. Thin-slit pupils like those of an animal gazed back. They gazed back at blood-red irises, pocked by a single mark. With the aid of the _sharingan_ a meeting of minds occurred. Naruto began to regain himself with that certain part of the beast at least a little occupied.

Naruto leaned back. "It's alright, I'm myself again." Sasuke had no idea what his teammate meant by this but cautiously stood down as well.

Turning to his other teammate, he was interrupted. "Sasuke," she gasped. "Your eyes have changed."

Glad for the achievement, Sasuke briefly felt elation, but current events drew him back to the moment. "What the fuck was that?" Sasuke's thoughts were a little more detailed. _"Where did he get such power? I want it."_

"It's not something I want to talk about." Naruto responded shakily. His experiences with his inner demon wasn't something he reveled in. 

"I kinda understand," Sakura added in. "It didn't feel right." She'd only witnessed the end of Naruto's rampage, but it was enough.

Naruto saw her fear, and it added to his desire to not use the beast's power. "It's not something I like doing. And I'm sorry I have to keep it a secret, but I do. Please don't ask me to tell."

Sasuke grudgingly relented. _"I'll figure out this power eventually..."_

* * *

Team Seven returned with a trussed up prisoner. Things were definitely looking up as they found that their _jounin_ _sensei_ had regained consciousness. "What should we do with her?" Sakura asked. The _jounin_ considered their options.

"We should use her as a bargaining chip with her boss." Naruto interjected.

"Risky," Kakashi commented, "hard to bargain in the middle of a fight."

"I know where they're based. I had a shadow clone hide as the arrow in Zabuza's arm. It memorized how to get there. Shouldn't be hard to sneak back in to deliver a message." Naruto laid out, hopeful. Suddenly, a deathly scream ripped through the house.

Sakura ran out of the bedroom they were keeping their prisoner in. "Kakashi-sensei, when I tried to bandage up our prisoner… I …ah," Sakura looked extremely embarrassed as she hesitated, "she's a he." Kakashi laughed.

"How did we miss that?" He asked rhetorically. "Alright then, Naruto will guard and provide first aid for our prisoner. You and Sasuke come with me for some training. Tell Sasuke to wait for me outside." Sakura ran off to do as was bid of her.

"Why don't I get the training?" Naruto pouted.

"You can do elemental manipulation right?" Kakashi asked. Naruto nodded in response. "That takes a fair amount of chakra control. I was just going to teach them the tree-walking exercise. You can already do it."

* * *

Sasuke stewed. Kakashi walked up the bole of an oak, expecting his students to attempt the same, but Sasuke was barely paying attention. He was excited after finally unlocking his _sharingan_ and intrigued by the mysterious power displayed by Naruto. Half-heartedly, he took to the exercise. He ran up the bole of his own tree, but his control gave out less than halfway up. Landing gracefully, he looked over to Sakura, who had already reached the top and held in place. Scowling, he took to it again without much better result.

"Sakura, keep at it. If you drain your reserves this way, it'll help build them up as well as refine control." Kakashi called to his student. Sasuke watched with his bloodline activated. Seeing the chakra pathways as she moved up the tree, he actually felt a stab of admiration. Trying again himself, he found the task much easier with the knowledge gleaned from his eyes. _For clan and village…_

_

* * *

_

Naruto finished bandaging his captive, something he would never have known how to do before Ebisu's tutelage. _"Would you approve of me now, Iruka-sensei?"_

The injured boy stirred. Though started by his captivity, he stayed relatively quiet and still – likely due to the fact his strength had been drained by his injuries. "Why am I here?" He asked.

"You mean why haven't we killed you yet?" Naruto asked, more subdued than usual. "We're using you as… a goodwill gift to bargain with Zabuza." Naruto told him, partially lying.

"Then I am a hostage?" Haku huffed.

"Depends on how he sees it, I guess." Naruto shrugged.

"It won't help. I am only a tool of his."

Naruto scowled. "You seem awfully accepting of such an attitude." Naruto said, his tone implied a question.

"He found me and gave me purpose, even when he didn't have to."

"Why don't you tell me about it?" Naruto beckoned. Against better sense, something about Naruto made Haku do just that. He told the Leaf ninja about his past history and Zabuza's place in it as his redeemer.

* * *

"Good to see you've shown up." Kakashi stated lazily. His team stood behind him, guarding their prisoner. Haku came blindfolded and bound.

Zabuza, now as fully functional as Kakashi, shrugged. "Many clones died to bring me this information…"

"That's because you kept popping 'em before they could say anything." Naruto told him indignantly.

"Abandon your mission, and we'll give you your subordinate back." Kakashi told the Mist swordsman.

"No."

Naruto erupted behind Kakashi. "What's your problem, you piece of shit? You act like the life of your student here is worthless. Well I think you're the worthless one. You have no sense of justice or duty."

"Shut up you little fuck. Your precious village never had to go through what the Mist did. Don't talk about things you know nothing about. I gave up my home to fight against the tyrant that rules it." Zabuza railed in anger.

Naruto was shocked silent, but only for a moment. He realized instinctively that Zabuza wasn't just acting out of self-absorption. "Then why won't you just sacrifice for your subordinate? Isn't that what you're fighting for? Isn't that what you want out of a _kage_. You want to be the Mizukage so that he'll stop pissing on your village, but from what I've seen, you'd do the same."

Zabuza felt hot anger boil up inside of him. Mostly it was because he couldn't deny the veracity of those words. "Even if what you said was true, kid, Haku would choose to sacrifice himself for a cause. It's not like I can just pick up and go without costing myself precious time and resources. Who would hire me after abandoning a contract? Where would I get funding and men for a revolution?"

Kakashi liked where this was going and interjected. "Then I have a better offer for you. We'll fake your death. The bounty money on you is a hundred times the standard rate for assassination. We'll loan that money out to you, and you can pay it back at a later date. I can personally guarantee Leaf's diplomatic recognition of your regime if you succeed as well."

"Why?"

Kakashi shrugged. "It costs us nothing. Mist is a political non-entity right now. Recognizing whoever comes out of that muck isn't really so taxing. As for the money … your bounty is a lot. It's not quite the total product of a whole country though. When this place gets on its feet, we'll get it paid back soon enough."

This gave Zabuza something to think about. "What will you need?"

"Your _hitai-ite_ with some blood on it will do. Only the Hokage and my team will know you're not dead."

"Deal."

In the end, Tazuna's bridge was built. Team Seven further restored the country's spirit by teaching them to fight. The battle for Wave Country would be long and hard, but Kakashi judged that the people here would need the struggle to restore their self-respect. This was the state of affairs as Team Seven left Wave Country.

* * *

Author Profile: Agent-G

He's one of my favorites, even though I don't know why. The style of his work is pretty ambiguous. Nothing stands out, but it's just an enjoyable read anyways. Everything is just good enough. The tension level is akin to LOTLOF but with a more realistic take on things. His weakness is that nothing he writes seems particularly innovative. And his strength is the lack of weaknesses.


	7. Gifts from the Other Side

Team Seven stood in the Hokage's office after having reported on the events surrounding their mission in Wave Country.

"The situation in Wave Country is unfortunate, but I agree that a people's revolt is necessary. As for your mission, it will be reclassified as A-rank. Kakashi, Naruto, you two stay." The Hokage remarked and commanded respectively.

Sasuke and Sakura left the room. "Iruka left some belongings. He had no next of kin, but the other instructors at the academy agreed you would be the closest person to him. As such, his belongings are being left to you, Naruto. It's not all that much, a meager account and a box of personal items, but it's yours. You can pick it up from the storage clerk downstairs." The old man looked at Naruto sympathetically.

"Thanks, old man." Naruto said trying to be be as dignified as possible and left.

"As for you, Kakashi, what made you tender your offer to Zabuza?" Sarutobi asked his subordinate. "I don't like being held to deals I didn't make. What do you really think?" The Hokage stressed "really", asking for total honesty from his subordinate.

"It's because you need this sir." Kakashi sighed. "I know you have trouble with Danzo and your own cabinet members. They would never have questioned anything you did back in the old days. This is a meaningless gambit to let them know you're still around. You've been waiting for someone good enough to take your place so that you can retire again. Your policy reflects this transitory state of mind. That's why they do it. A major move outside our borders will make it clear you're still willing to be proactive."

"Kakashi, you've been as passive as anyone recently. When did you start feeling strongly enough to take such risks?" The Hokage demanded of him.

"I saw a kid who wasn't afraid to take on one of the Mist's Seven Swordsmen just on his own sense of justice. It was a feeling we haven't had for a long time, not since Minato. I guess I realized I wanted to relish in it once again. It's the 'will of fire' as you like to say. It's been too long since we've shown we have the spine to do the **right** thing just because we wanted to."

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe silently. "I suppose I have neglected our current state of affairs. What of the dangers associated with your little gambit?"

"At worst, our credibility will suffer slight damage. Hidden Mist put up most of the bounty on Zabuza. It's not like we have a 'standing' with them anyways." Kakashi thought about the mysterious civil war reputed to be happening in Water Country. "There's little risk in throwing down money patching up a hole in the map." Kakashi reasoned.

"This all depends on if we can trust a rogue ninja." The Third Hokage pointed out.

Kakashi smiled with his eye the way only he could. "I'm letting Naruto make the character assessment on this one." He joked. Kakashi made for the door and paused just as he was about to leave. "Side note: We might want to keep an eye on Gato in case he wants to bring even more rogue ninja into our backyard. Can't have that now, can we?"

* * *

Naruto hefted a box containing the belongings left to him by Iruka. Returning to his home, he opened the box to inspect its contents. Much of the contents were knick-knacks whose meaning eluded Naruto. He decided to keep them stored away as memorabilia. There were some books and weapons as well. Among them were a couple items of note.

A tough leather band with thick metal hooks poking out from them intrigued Naruto. He searched his memory for the name of the tool. _"_Neko-te,_ Ebisu called them. At least it looks like the pictures he showed me."_ It fit quite well around Naruto's right hand. _"It won't make _kyuudo_ any more difficult either."_

There was also a manuscript that was written in Iruka's handwriting as well. It seemed the teacher had knowledge he still wanted to impart to others. It wasn't long, being that Iruka-sensei seemed to be proficient at using drawings to explain its contents. Naruto opened it. The introduction explained that Iruka had revived a dead practice in mental discipline. It was a form of meditation that allowed for some original techniques. It was accompanied by hand signs and chants. "The esoteric spiritualism that is part of the process can be downplayed, and the benefits won't be lost," assured the texts.

_Rin_ – associated with strength. Its hand sign was like a tiger seal with the middle finger tucked.

_Pyo_ – meaning channel. Its hand sign was like _rin_ but with the middle fingers looped over the steepled index fingers.

_Tou _– symbolizing harmony. The hand sign for this was two both hands clapped together flat with the middle and index fingers folded inward.

_Sha _– representing healing. The depiction of its hand sign was that of _tou_ but with the ring finger tucked instead of the index finger.

_Kai_ – the realization of danger. Both hands were together with all fingers interlocked outward in the depiction of its hand sign.

_Jin_ – stood for the perception of other's thoughts. Its hand sign was the same as _kai_ but with fingers interlocked inward including thumbs.

_Retsu_ – meant mastery of time and space. The hand sign for this was left index finger pointed up grasped by the right hand.

_Zai_ – represented control of elements. The hand sign was a simple touching of thumbs to thumbs and index finger to index finger with both hands spread wide.

_Zen _– meaning enlightenment. The hand sign shown was of a left fist grabbed by the right hand lengthwise.

The manuscript emphasized the acute mental, emotional, and physical self-control that the exercise was meant to impart. Side benefits included minor chakra control refinement and finger strengthening for _ninjutsu_ hand seals. A certain philosophy accompanied it; a tactically pertinent philosophy, in fact.

_The dangers and weapons familiar to the ninja world are almost infinite. Thus, a most comprehensive approach to training is needed. One must always consider how to address one's own weaknesses before they can be exploited. Conversely, a wide range of offensive capabilities must be build up to address whatever weaknesses the enemy may have. The first step in this process is the complete mastery of one's self._

Naruto shrugged. It couldn't hurt to try out Iruka's training regimen. The notes stated it was optimal to do it under a waterfall, but Naruto settled for trying underneath a running showerhead. He repeated the chant over and over in his mind, performing the hand movements as he went.

"_Rin pyo tou sha kai jin retsu zai zen rin pyo tou sha kai jin retsu zai zen rin pyo tou sha kai jin retsu zai zen."_

Naruto repeated it over and over until the outside world drowned out. All that registered on his conscious thought was his own body, the chant in his mind, and the sensation of his hands. His world shrank in on him. Soon, he lost track of the outside world entirely and found himself in knee-deep dank water. A cage door the size of a mountain loomed over him. A hot snort of air blew out from the cage. Naruto could see a red furred claw rest between the metal bars of the cage.

"Why are you here human?" Naruto heard, sounding as much like throaty growls as actual words. Two red glowing eyes illuminated behind the cage. Naruto could guess what it was.

"I was meditating, in a way. It was supposed to give me inner mastery. I guess I'm starting with the thing in me that's hardest to master."

The beast scoffed. "You seek to control me? You dare presume too much." The demon snarled.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't need your power right now. I'm just trying to control my own. So I guess I'd just like you to stuff it, fur-ball." As if by magic, thick walls enveloped the cage. Naruto could hear the beast no longer.

The boy snapped back into his senses. He was surprised to find he had spent almost an hour looking inward. More than that, he felt different. Naruto was now acutely aware of everything within himself. Every breath, muscle twitch, pump of the heart, and circulation of chakra could be tracked. The last being especially important, as Naruto could feel the _biju_ – tailed demon – chakra and move it for lack of better term. His chakra control had always been degenerate due to the movement of the Kyuubi's chakra, but now he could confine it to his _hara_ – chakra organ. All this was predicted by Iruka's manuscript, inasmuch as he could despite not really considering tailed beast chakra, it meant Naruto had the awareness to try Iruka's sensor technique.

The manuscript was incomplete, but before his death, Iruka had managed to find one use for this refined awareness. Naruto's acute awareness of his own chakra meant that a released burst of chakra could be "read" to provide a sensor technique. Naruto figured he could find a use for the ability. Naruto let out a pulse of chakra and 'felt' his bathroom. It was like a blind man feeling his surroundings, but all at once, all around, and at range. Some things Naruto knew he missed. He couldn't 'feel' his toothbrush lying on the counter. The mats covering the floor didn't register. _"This could take some practice."_

_

* * *

_

After the excitement of their last mission, Team Seven was actually glad to have a quiet day training together. Not exactly, but even Sasuke and Naruto would acknowledge the wisdom of having downtime to refine certain skills. They still ached to prove themselves in some manner, though. Currently, the best they had was trying to hone their skills against one another.

Every punch or kick Naruto unleashed was checked by the pseudo-clairvoyant abilities of Sasuke's _sharingan_. Naruto summoned a hundred clones to even the odds. He lost dozens to land a hit, but Sasuke was tough enough to weather the sparse beatings.

Sasuke's _sharingan_ gave him an unquestioned advantage man-to-man now. He could handle more shadow clones as well, although Naruto could fight him on even ground if he used enough. _"How is the dead last still holding me off even with the _sharingan_?"_ Sasuke thought furiously. He knew he still had to unlock the bloodline ability's various evolutions, and that thought comforted him. _"Naruto won't be able to keep up with three _tomoe_,"_ _tomoe_ being single-tail swirl marks that showed one's mastery over the _sharingan_. Kakashi helped him reach the second recently. Sasuke was hopeful for the third soon.

Naruto's thoughts were somewhat more centered. _"Never expected the bastard to be a pushover, but winning more convincingly would be nice."_ Naruto thought, enjoying the experience. His new tricks weren't directly applicable to a one-on-one battle but Naruto kept on working with it anyways. His sensor ability was getting better in terms of range and completeness. Maybe he'd be able to wring a good combat ability out of his new level of control and awareness sometime.

Sakura sat watching the boys dejectedly. She was simply outclasses by them. She just couldn't find ways to leverage her chakra control and intelligence in combat. This was a far cry from when she had just left the academy as a top flight graduate with great potential. "Yo." Her thoughts were interrupted by the familiar greeting.

The boys stopped their exercise to see what their instructor was here for. He didn't disappoint. "I've got good news for you guys. I'm letting you sign up for the _chuunin_ exams if you want to try it." He gave each of them a slip of paper and let them read it. It was an application form they all gathered. All were instantly intrigued and pleased. "You all have to apply together, though. It starts next week. Bring your forms with you to the exam."

"Yeah!" Naruto's reaction was the most exuberant. Sasuke dwelt on the possibilities and Sakura had some nagging doubts. Naruto was pure liveliness. "C'mon guys. We gotta do this." He said beseechingly.

The others agreed and the boys left to go find a place to fill out the form. Sakura lingered a bit longer with her _sensei_. "I know Sasuke and Naruto are ready for this, but I don't know if I am." Sakura said candidly.

"Why not? You're a perfectly capable _kunoichi_."

"Please, Kakashi-sensei, we both know I can hardly touch the boys when they're serious." Sakura spilled her fears.

Kakashi shrugged. "Your physical attributes are slowly growing, your chakra control and intelligence is top notch, and you have experience in a life or death situation now. You'd be good for things like _genjutsu_ and medical _ninjutsu_. It's just that most _genin_ don't work on such specialized skills. It's really just that you have an uncommon skill set." Sakura was not feeling reassured.

* * *

Naruto was practicing his marksmanship a couple days later at one of Hidden Leaf's many ubiquitous training grounds. Shadow clones would embed _kunai_ into trees beyond Naruto's vision. His exercise was to fire arrows through the loop at the end of the _kunai_ using his sensor pulse to locate his targets, of course, the clones would not have dispelled as to not give away his targets' positions. Naruto did this, finding fifty-seven of sixty targets. _"Not bad, yesterday I only found half of them."_ Indeed Naruto found his trance-like focus becoming easier to maintain in battle.

Interrupting his thoughts, a raven flew overhead. Its harsh caw grated on Naruto and he turned to it, taking an un-augmented potshot at the bird. _"Oops. So not cool, only serial killers randomly kill animals. Although it was annoying, cawing at me like that."_ The bird seemed to take exception to him as it flew down and started raking him with its talons and pecking him with its beak. It then flew away, a piqued Naruto giving chase.

After a long chase, it landed in an empty field on top of something Naruto couldn't identify yet. He drew close and found a familiar girl lying down amongst the soft grass and wildflowers. The bird flapped away in panic as she bolted straight up. Ino Yamanaka looked at him angrily. _"Oh crap, what did I do?"_

"You idiot, I was in that bird! You could've killed me… again!"

Naruto displayed his usual behavioral tic for embarrassment and guilt; he scratched at the back of his head. "Sorry, I didn't even know you could take over animals. And we've got to stop meeting like this."

Still slightly fuming, she went back to her work. "Whatever, I'm going to keep practicing my family's _shintenshin_ for the _chuunin_ exams. For nearly killing me, I'm going to make you watch over my body while I work on it." Naruto meekly accepted. She saw a hawk in the sky and left her body to pursue it. Now alone, Naruto paced around her unconscious body. _"Shit, I know I'm gonna get bored soon. I'm not cut out for guard duty."_ There'd be only one way to make the time fly by. Naruto sat down cross legged and meditated. He also practiced the sensor pulse now and then. Ino awoke and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, you're supposed to be watching my body, not zoning out." Ino chided him.

Naruto gave an exasperated look. "I was, Ino. I learned to do this chakra pulse thingy that can detect stuff." He explained. "What were you doing? I thought your _jutsu_ are supposed to help you take over people."

"I can take over anything with a mind. My family uses birds to scout. They have good eyesight y'know."

Naruto's face split open in a grin. "Cool. Then you know what it's like to fly? That would be cool to experience. Flying I mean."

Ino nodded. "It's very liberating. They don't fly the way you think they do. It's not about flapping wings. They have to ride pockets of warm rising air and work with the wind. It's like surfing or riding more than running through the air."

An idea struck Naruto. Using wind chakra, he built a column of wind underneath him to raise him up. Naruto soon discovered a very vexing fact about trying to use wind release to fly. The higher you go the more chakra and the more control you need to buffer the air between you and the ground. He had the chakra but not the control. About ten feet into the air, the base of his air column gave way, sending him crashing back down. "Ow."

Ino ran over laughing. She helped him up, voicing her amusement. "Birds use their wings for natural lift. I'm not sure you can simulate that with brute force."

Naruto remained stubborn and resolute. "Let's try this differently." He used wind manipulation to gather air, compress it, and forcefully expel is downward. The power achieved by this was incredible and he rocketed upward, He soon learned the downside to this method. He didn't have the chakra control to stabilize his flight. His path curved until he was pointed straight down again. He landed with a resounding crash.

Ino ran after him again, this time somewhat worried. His impact with the ground was harsher this time. The slight glazing in his eyes gave away the fact the landing stunned him, but he was far from disappointed. "Whoa, that was a wild trip. I was goin so fast." He said, dragging out the "so". _"Let's start small." _He got up and used the same technique on a smaller scale. If he centered this 'air jet' over his fist, he could punch harder. It felt so wonderful to move with the air augmenting his movements. His mastery over these techniques was limited at first. He could accelerate a blow, but small movements, banks, and turns had to be well coordinated with his 'air jets'. So he practiced it through sheer repetition.

Ino watched in amazement. _"He's so fast. I didn't even know he could use wind techniques."_ It was fascinating to watch. It worried her too. As far as she knew, her competition in the _chuunin_ exams would be even more capable than a rookie _genin_ like Naruto. As for him, his new technique was taxing. He could still use it quite a bit, thanks to his stamina, but not indefinitely like some other things he could do. He stopped when he felt fatigue finally creep up on him.

"That's gonna help so much in the exams." Naruto said to himself.

"Wait, you're taking the exams too?" Ino asked.

"Yeah, my team will be in it."

_"Shit."_ She thought. She had been unknowingly helping her competition. Ino looked up at Naruto and brightened up. The happy kid in front of her didn't exactly look too threatening. _"This is Naruto we're talking about. I won't have to worry about him coming after me."_ She also wondered about some other mysteries surrounding the 'dead last' of her graduating class. Last time she met him, he was toying around with archery. From the way he carried himself, she could see it was a skill he had taken to. Every time she saw him, he had a shiny new skill up his sleeve. It was kind of unnerving coming from someone who she equated with a hyperactive chipmunk in her mind. She decided to do some digging.

"So how strong is Sasuke-kun and Forehead now?" Ino asked.

"Sakura-chan is still finding her mojo." Naruto told her, embarrassed for his teammate who he still harbored a crush on. "I'm not sure I should really tell you much more, exams y'know." Naruto said, catching on. "Sasuke and I can fight on pretty even ground. I don't know what he'd do in a real fight. I'm pretty sure we hold back in sparring." So Ino's questions gave her a rough estimate of Team Seven but nothing specific. "What about your team?" Naruto flipped the tables on her.

Ino looked exasperated. "Shika is lazy as always. Chouji does nothing but eat." She told Naruto sardonically.

"They can't be totally useless, that's impossible! What about stuff they **can** do?"

"Well I supposed Shika is downright brilliant when he wants to be." Ino allowed. "Chouji can use his family techniques for standup fighting." Mimicking Naruto's earlier evasiveness, Ino told him the truth without specifics. They looked at each other, now realizing what they'd done, and shared knowing smiles.

"I guess I'll see you at the exams then, Ino-chan."

* * *

Author Profile: S'TarKan

His only relevant work, that I've read, is his well-known "Team 8". It's exquisite in its detail. It has the subtle qualities that combine plausible, realistic details, plot, and characters. Everything simply fits together well and makes sense. I felt like I could imagine it all happening in canon.


	8. Struggle for Solidarity

A/N The longer the story goes, the more AU things become. It's a butterfly effect thing… or a chaos theory thing if you prefer to think of it that way. So if events don't precisely mirror canon, don't freak out.

* * *

Team Seven met up the morning of the _chuunin_ exams to coordinate their efforts going in while making their way down a boulevard leading to the exam site. Not far into their preparations, they received a foreshadowing of what was to come. Konohamaru, and a couple of his friends none of Team Seven recognized, ran up to the trio followed hotly by a strange looking ninja. The kids hid behind Team Seven, using Naruto to shield themselves from this stranger. He sported purple markings on his face and wore an open-faced _bunraku_ hood with matching black robes. On his hood was a _hitai-ite_ plate with Hidden Sand's mark. Sasuke also noticed a smear of blackened dried blood on his upper lip. An older girl, also of Sunagakure – Hidden Sand – came up behind her apparent teammate.

"Can I help you?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, give that brat over to me." The black-garbed foreigner asked with acerbic tone.

"What were you chasing him around for? I assume you're here for the _chuunin_ exams, don't you have more important things to be doing?" Sakura joined in.

"Now you're all annoying me." The surly Sand ninja laid down some wrapped object from his back.

Naruto noticed his hostile intent and smoothly drew his bow, knocked an arrow, and aimed. "Don't try anything in my village asshole. This kid is the Third Hokage's grandson by the way. So go ahead, make my day." Naruto was cocky until he released his sensor pulse, detecting another presence behind them. Naruto made a few faint gestures with his head to Sasuke. _Their third teammate is behind us, check it out._ Despite not really liking each other all that much, the two boys understood each other quite well. Sasuke activated his eyes and turned to look where Naruto was gesturing towards. From the roof of a building just behind them and to the left a red-headed boy with a mark on his forehead jumped down off the roof landing on the awning of the building. With Naruto squared off against the black one, Sasuke keeping tabs on the mysterious redhead, and Sakura in reserve against the older girl, it was a situation that could be described as a Mexi-ninja standoff.

"Kankuro, you're an embarrassment. I want to get to the exams and collect the blood of the combatants there. If you delay us, I'll kill you." The murderous redhead told his teammate, glaring eyes boring into him.

"Sure, whatever you say." Kankuro meekly acquiesced.

"Wait, who are you?" Sasuke asked.

Gaara looked at Sasuke, lacing the moment with tension before replying. "I am Gaara of the Desert, and you are…"

Naruto interrupted him. "You'll find out soon enough. See ya at the exams." They continued on their way. After they had passed, Naruto remarked to his team. "That was no normal guy." Even Sasuke nodded in agreement.

* * *

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto marveled at the academy, now saturated with strangers. The three turned in their forms and made their way through the building. On the second floor, they found a commotion brewing. Two ninjas were bullying the bunch crowded in front of the door they were guarding. The sign on the door read "301". "What a clusterfuck this is." Sasuke remarked.

"I can't believe all these guys don't realize this isn't the third floor even." Sakura whispered.

"Kakashi-sensei said room three-oh-one right?" Naruto asked. The other two nodded. "Alright, I know a better way there. We can skip this bullshit altogether." He beckoned them to follow him. Going to the nearest window, Naruto opened it and stepped out. His team followed. "It's just like tree climbing." They ran along the outside of the building until Naruto found the window into room "301". Quietly sliding the window open, the three slipped into the room and took open seats. Team Seven looked around the room discreetly, pointing out familiar faces and intimidating looking people.

"Over there, I think I see Ino-pig and her team." Sakura whispered.

Sasuke jutted his head towards the center of the room. "That Sand team we met is over there." Looking elsewhere he found another familiar face. "You guys remember Shino, Kiba, and Hinata from the academy? They're here too."

"I see weird looking dudes too. See the teams from Hidden Rain, and Hidden Sound?" Naruto added in. These teams looked rather abnormal. The rain team wore beige canvas suits and re-breathers. The Sound team had a hunchbacked _genin_ wearing bandages around his face.

In the midst of reconnoitering their competition, Team Seven's attention was captured by some new arrivals. "Yosh! Our plan worked to perfection. Many competing _genin_ are still left below." A loud, boisterous voice declared. They turned to address the wielder of this voice, his eccentric looks surprising all of them. He had black hair in the shape of an unfashionable bowl cut, and he wore a tight green bodysuit resembling a leotard.

Just then, the proctor for the first exam appeared in a smoky discharge. He was flanked by some rather stern-looking _chuunin_ assistants. "Everyone be quiet. We're starting here." The _tokubetsu jounin_ in charge shouted. "The first test is a written exam. There are ten questions. You must answer thoroughly for credit. If you are caught cheating, two points will be deducted from your total. If anyone one your team receives a zero, the team will fail. Seating will be randomized to prevent collusion." _Chuunin _assistants began shepherding _genin_ towards their respective seats.

Naruto found himself sitting next to an old acquaintance in Hinata Hyuuga. She was flushed incredibly red. The whiskered boy noticed this, taking her flushed tone for nervousness of a sort other than what she was really feeling. The more observant boy could tell there was something amiss in her reaction to him, but couldn't quite place it. "Hey Hinata, don't be nervous. I'm sure we'll ace this, no problem." She gave a meek smile and nodded. _"Heh, she still as quiet as ever."_ He considered the girl. Her hair was worn short, with elongated sidelocks framing her face. Her jacket was a modest affair of cream color. There was something about the overall effect that was endearing, however.

When the paper was delivered, Naruto felt a little less cocksure. _"I think I know maybe two of these answers. These questions are ridiculous."_ The questions were deeply involved, touching upon a variety of subjects including: calculus, ancient history, psychology, natural sciences, and advanced tactics. The tenth question also seemed to be blank. He answered what he could from his memory of Ebisu's lectures. It wasn't much though, only enough to guarantee not having a zero. _"How is this possible without cheating?"_

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hinata hard at work. Hey eyes were deeply focused in a manner he'd never seen before. The veins on the sides of her face were bulging slightly. From Ebisu's lectures he remembered that the Hyuuga had some sort of ocular bloodline ability that let them see through things and all around. He realized Hinata was cheating! This realization resounded in his mind. _"Hinata never does anything wrong. She was the quietest, sweetest girl in the class."_ The only conclusion was that cheating was expected.

As Hinata finished, she nudged Naruto slightly. She had harbored feelings for the blond boy since they were students in this very place. The thought of going on and leaving him behind in this exam was almost painful to her. "Naruto-kun, you can look at my answers if you want." She whispered to Naruto in a staccato of words.

This figuratively bowled Naruto over. The heiress of Konohagakure's most prestigious clan wanted to help him. He knew he'd feel bad about not passing on his own merit however. "Thanks, Hinata-chan, but I think I should try to pass myself." He whispered back. Turning to his only pure scouting ability, he concentrated and let out a sensor pulse. Trying to feel the slight impression of ink on paper was difficult at best, but Naruto could make out a few words at a time on papers around him. Comparing for accuracy, he compiled the right answers and wrote them down.

Next to him, the Hyuuga heiress could see the pulses of chakra that fueled her crush's technique. It was beautiful to her. He seemed to illuminate with chakra to her eyes. This was the first time she'd been able to check up on her crush and had no idea what to expect. _"Naruto-kun, you never cease to amaze me."_ Hinata thought with an inward smile.

"Pencils down!" The proctor yelled. The _genin_ arrayed before him did as instructed. "I will now give you the details to the tenth question. There are some things you need to know first. You must answer the tenth question to pass. If you get it wrong, however, you must choose someone from your team to die for your mistake. So who wants to put their lives on the line for the tenth question?"

Nearly half the teams were eliminated in this fashion. "Is that it?" The proctor asked. "You must write down the name of the person that this quote is attributed to." He began to write something upon the chalkboard.

I am the one who will establish peace and order.

_"Oh shit! I have no idea what he's talkin' about."_ Naruto scribbled something down, feeling a dead man walking. The rest of the room looked just as sick as he did. The proctor moved to an adjacent room and a _chuunin_ assistant was left in charge.

"Time's up. Line up in a single file line and Ibiki-sensei will grade your paper in private." The assistant motioned at the door the proctor had just walked through.

* * *

Unafraid, Gaara stood in front of the Leaf _jounin_ as he was judged.

"Your answer was incorrect. Who do you want me to kill?" The stern man asked.

Gaara glared back unwaveringly. "You're welcomed to try to kill me."

"Pass"

* * *

Naruto was nervous as judgment was passed on him. "Your answer is wrong." Naruto fell to his knees. _"I can't believe this is how it ends. I wish I could just say 'kill Sasuke the bastard' but what would that make me?"_

"I'll pay for my own mistakes." Naruto said more subdued than he'd ever been in his life.

"You pass."

* * *

Sasuke stood, being judged by the proctor. The _jounin_ looked up from reading Sasuke's answers. "Where did you find the answer to the tenth question?" He asked.

Ibiki Morino never expected anyone to actually have the right answer. Only those who had done extensive research into _shinobi_ history even knew about this period in history. Even most _jounin_ would not know this answer.

"I recognized it from a dusty old clan document I found once. My ancestor was quoted in it – exactly that which you wrote." Sasuke told the proctor. _"The _Rikudou Sennin_, whoever that is…"_

"Who would you have chosen if you had gotten it wrong?"

Sasuke had enough questioning. "Do I pass or not." He asked, not answering the question posed. He thought about his team. He'd sacrifice them if necessary, but it troubled him more than he thought it would.

"Pass."

* * *

Sakura was near panic. "Wrong answer," her fears were confirmed, "who is going to bite it?"

She dwelled on her answer. _"Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun are such great ninja now. I'm a nobody. I should do the village a favor and take the fall for them."_ She sighed, expecting the worst. "Kill me, sir." Tears welled up in her eyes until she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"You pass."

* * *

The scene was replayed over and over with differing results. Those that chose another teammate were failed without explanation. When the _genin _that had passed gathered again, many emotional embraces occurred – mostly among Leaf candidates. The proctor appeared and spoke briefly. "If you're wondering why you passed, I'll explain. As a _chuunin_ you will be expected to take dangerous missions. _Chuunin_ are often team leaders. You must have the courage to do the mission, but tempered by a sense of responsibility towards your team. A leader doesn't ask others to pay a price that they won't."

_"What the fuck, Sasuke-teme didn't off one of us?"_ Naruto thought morbidly. Strangely, Sakura gather up both her teammates in a massive hug. _"I supposed she thought we were going to scapegoat her."_ He looked around, finding the red-haired Sand ninja. "How the hell did that guy pass?" Naruto asked his team unbelievingly.

An eruption of smoke occurred once again as a second proctor made herself known. Although, from the see-through mesh look she was sporting, having knowledge of her wasn't all that special… biblically. "Alright, my name is Anko Mitarashi. I'm here for the second part of the exams. Follow me."

The group followed her to an area a few blocks from the academy. "Behind this wall lies training area forty-four. It's an environment filled with man-eating predators and you'll be expected to fight in it. The test is simple. Each team will be given a scroll. There are two types –Earth and Heaven. Your team has to collect the complementing scroll by taking it from another team. It's expected some people might be killed for their scroll so you all are gonna have to sign some consent forms." The proctor explained the complex procedure and passed out the paperwork. "Time limit is five days. Meet at the central tower by then. Have fun in there, kids." She gave a sadistic smile.

* * *

A/N

Something different for this ending author's note:

Just in case you're all wondering who passed and how, this is how it went down.

Sand trio – They pretty much followed Gaara's attitude. They'd rather fight than sacrifice their teammate, for various reasons (not entirely altruistic but w/e). The proctor is more focused on the fact that they won't sell out, not on whether they're self-sacrificing or not.

Team 8 – Yeah right, like they'd sell each other out.

Team 10 – Despite that they act like they can't stand each other, they're close by necessity. Their bonds pretty much got bred into them.

Team Gai – Neji is the major risk factor. But he has a sense of honor superseding his sense of superiority. Unless it's a main branch member, apparently they can rot in hell.

Rain Team – They failed. Epically.

Sound Team - They received coded instructions from Kabuto telling them what to expect.


	9. Forest Watered with Blood

Team Seven made good progress through the forest. The predatory denizens of the training ground – big cats, snakes, oversized insects, poisonous arachnids, and man-eating plants were held at bay because of the offensive nature of the team's techniques. However, all was not well. The paucity of targets was wearing on the team. They had an earth scroll, and they needed a heaven scroll. At this rate, they wouldn't get one.

"Where the hell is everyone?" Naruto fumed.

Sakura gave Naruto a sharp look. "Don't be so loud, you're going to attract attention."

"Sakura-chan, that would be a good thing. I'd gladly trade the element of surprise for a crack at anybody. I'm even starting to feel like we'd have to take it from one of our classmates at this rate."

Sasuke joined the conversation, albeit briefly. "Dead last has a point. We've wasted nearly two days without finding anyone."

"Yeah, I wish something would happen." Naruto said, stressing 'something' when he spoke. In retrospect, he should have been more specific when asking for 'something'. Just then, a huge snake, greater in length than ten men laid end to end, leapt into the clearing. It landed in a cloud of dust as the members of Team Seven scattered to avoid the giant reptile's landing.

Sakura and Sasuke recovered in time to face a new threat. A smirking, pasty-complexioned ninja bearing the _hitai-ite_ of Kusagakure – Hidden Grass – stood over them on a tree branch. His stealth was amazing, they'd only noticed him because of the haze of foreboding he seemed to broadcast.

* * *

Naruto tucked and rolled, springing back up face-to-face with the serpentine gaze of the gargantuan snake. Its scales were a mottled dark grey mixed with an off white marble color. The scales gleamed at certain angles, meaning they afforded the creature some protection. It chased him, nipping at his heels quite literally. He ran, trying to conspire a way to dispose of the giant beast as he ran. Vaguely, he felt it was herding him in some way. _"Maybe this isn't a wild animal, but a summoned creature…"_ Naruto thought. Whatever its purpose, the most pertinent question in Naruto's mind was how to evade or combat it.

Naruto shot arrows at it, but no matter now penetrating, its width made it like a pin prick to the snake. It screeched and hissed from the pain, but wasn't slowed down at all. The pursuit was starting to agitate Naruto. His sensor pulses told him he had strayed far from the rest of his team. The situation was becoming intolerable. He needed an attack that would scourge it entirely. In one of his inexplicable bouts of inspiration, he thought of a plan. Turning towards it, he shot an arrow. He imbued it with wind chakra, but stopped forming it mid-flight. The wind chakra enmeshed between the wood fibers burst apart, along with the arrow itself. The remnants of the arrow and wind chakra fragmented, flying at the snake in a hail of splinters and shards. It scoured the snake all over, leaving gaping holes where a cluster of material impacted. It roared and reared up in pain. Emboldened by the snake's reaction, Naruto repeated the feat a few times. The snake soon was writhing as the last of its strength fled.

_"Fucking great, now it's time to find Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme. I hope they're okay… or at least Sakura-chan."_ Naruto marshaled his patience as he hurried to find his team in the vast expanse of the Forest of Death.

* * *

The Grass ninja's features slowly changed. What was once a girl became a man of sinister countenance and shrouded in depravity. His pale skin and greasy long hair gave the illusion of a ghoul. His sharp facial features and vertical slit eyes gave him an animalistic aspect. The darkness of the forest and the way his silken voice seemed to violate you down to the core contributed to the sense of evil surrounding him. The lethal aura surrounding him froze the two members of Team Seven. Their feet were rooted into the ground, unlikely to move. The horror in the guise of a man hurled a _kunai_ at Sasuke, whose survival instinct finally overcame his shock. He dodged at the last moment.

Sasuke activated his _sharingan_, now compelled to fight for his life. He attacked the Grass ninja, weapons in hand. The two seemed to fight evenly for a while, blows were traded and blocked. In the corner of his mind, Sasuke felt that his enemy was holding back. Sasuke leapt back and casted a Fire Release: Great Fireball. The Grass ninja seemed to have been hit, but appeared later, looking no worse for wear. For several minutes, Sasuke proceeded to use everything at his disposal. Nothing, not ninja wires, _shuriken_, _fuuma shuriken_, _kunai_, exploding tags, fire _ninjutsu_ or any combination thereof, worked on him. In contrast, the clinical precision with which he obviously operated was disconcerting. Indeed, when he had seen enough, he ended things.

The Grass ninja laughed aloud, his voice echoing throughout the forest. "You have potential, Sasuke-kun. My name is Orochimaru. Mark it well, for I will be a source of power when you choose to seek me." His neck extended in an unnatural display. A leering head rocketed towards Sasuke as Orochimaru projected an even more intense killing intent. The surprise of the moment froze Sasuke temporarily as the head reached him and sunk its fangs into Sasuke's neck. Sasuke passed out as black markings grew over his skin where he was bitten.

Sakura watched the sequence in horror. Throughout the fight, she had wanted to help, but the pace of the battle was beyond her ability to react to. She breathed in relief when the scary shape-shifter left after disabling Sasuke. She ran over to where he lay, to inspect the damage and do what she could. All the while, she felt she was in way over her head.

* * *

Naruto was more lost than he thought. He'd tried sending out clones in all directions. Those didn't last long, destroyed as soon as they met opposition. That meant he was stuck hoofing it on his own. _"I suppose it could be worse. At least my sensor pulse lets me avoid teams."_ Naruto was actually confident enough in his abilities against lesser talents, but at this point in his career, he'd finally learnt not to court trouble.

Even so, he found out he could still be surprised. A mass of flesh blindsided him and he was on the ground in a daze. Standing above him were Shino and Kiba. The mass of flesh lying on top of him was Hinata, or so he assumed from the strands of dark blue hair tickling at his face. He picked her and himself up. _"Definitely Hinata, no one else can reach that shade of red."_

"Dude, move your ass. We got some sort of psycho on our trail." Kiba screamed at him. Shino shoved him, trying to get him to move faster. Bewildered, Naruto could do naught but follow their recommendation. Team Eight, plus Naruto, ran. He looked at his fellow runners. Like Hinata, they were virtually unchanged since when he last knew them. Shino was covered head to toe and wore dark glasses. His brown hair splayed up into the air in a sort of 'fro. His counterpart wore a fur-lined hooded jacket. Signatory red marks under his eyes underscored his bestial nature and countenance. A little white dog rode zipped up in his jacket.

"What are we running from guys?" Naruto asked after they'd gotten a running start.

Shino, the most composed member of his team at the moment, informed Naruto as they ran. "While we were looking for a suitable target, we came upon a murderous scene. The lone Sand team at these exams was responsible. Their member that wears a gourd on his back can manipulate sand and pulverize targets with his abilities. Moreover, he is unnecessarily brutal and sadistic. We spied on them for a while, but were discovered, prompting our flight." Shino explained with his usual preciseness.

Just then a torrent of washed over them. It was too thin for it to be a killing technique of Gaara's, but more than enough to blind and separate them. Hinata fell, rubbing at her eyes that were so sensitive. "Get out of here guys, I'll get her." Naruto shouted. The other two boys made as if they were about to disagree, but Naruto would have none of it. Releasing a portion of Kyuubi's chakra, and letting it transform his features, he screamed at them. "I said get out of here **now**!" Naruto was determined to save Hinata at all cost as a legacy of his new _nindo_ - or ninja way. He would be a steady rock for his people to rely on, just as Iruka had always been there for him.

They ran at his disconcerting demeanor and Naruto turned back to look for his missing comrade. A sensor pulse found her through the sand. Naruto made hundreds of shadow clones. A mash of them picked up Hinata and spirited her away in the direction of her teammates. Naruto himself waited for Gaara. It didn't take long.

Naruto shot an arrow straight at the Sand ninja's tattooed forehead with as much wind chakra as he could manage. His sand swirled around him, swallowing up the arrow. _"Wow,"_ Naruto thought, _"that never had a chance of getting through. Alright, asshole, let's go for a ride."_ Naruto made another batch of shadow clones. They swarmed around the deranged _shinobi_, taunting him. The red haired monster formed a thin cord of sand and whipped it around. It lashed at the clones, destroying them several at a time. They were dispelled in minutes. _"Alright, that should be enough time for them to get away. It's time for me to make an exit."_ He made more clones and scattered them, slipping away amongst the chaos.

After having slipped past the Sand team, Naruto came upon a bog. Yet the moisture in the dirt wasn't water. The ground was sticky-wet, but quite solid after a depth of an inch or so. The mire effect was because of a mixture of forest soils and blood. A human bone fragment here and there coated in sandy grit made it clear this was Gaara's most recent killing ground. In his bloodlust, he left something… a heaven scroll.

* * *

Sakura was not having a good day. Or week. Or year. Since becoming a ninja, her life consisted of long periods of boredom interrupted by episodes of soul-shattering terror. This was another day in the life. The situation?

Sasuke was out cold, stashed in the hollowed-out bole of a large tree. She was cold, dirty, and hungry. Again, nothing was out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, she was a _kunoichi_ now. That meant her duty was clear. She'd spent the last few hours setting up traps and doing her best to make her position defensible. How defensible a clearing in the middle of the Forest of Death could be, and defended by a mere slip of a girl, remains to be seen.

* * *

Kin Tsuchi, Zaku Abumi, and Dosu Kinuta were entrusted a mission by Orochimaru-sama himself. That mission was to kill Sasuke Uchiha. Like all pawns, they went about their task with no question as to its true purpose. They'd learn soon enough.

"There they are." The leader of the trio – Dosu – told his team. "It's the pink one intel' said would be on his team. The others can't be far." The trio confidently strode into the clearing to accost an easy target. In theory that is. "Hey you, where is Sasuke Uchiha?"

Sakura saw the Sound team well before they called out to her, but was still unprepared for contact. She was far from scared, having endured the proximity of much more dangerous people. Instead, she was merely nervous at the thought of a fight without the support of her teammates. What she felt was the uncertainty of new ground. _"Just a little closer…"_ She ran, drawing them three closer to her trap. With three of them, however, she needed help to prevail. _"I need to buy time for Naruto to show up or Sasuke to wake up."_

_

* * *

_

A sensor pulse painted a grim picture. Naruto sensed that Sasuke was out of the fight and Sakura was outnumbered three to one. In consolation, he had found his team and was getting closer. He picked up his pace until they were in range of bowshot. He weighed the options in his mind. _"It'd be nice if Sakura made the first move. I can take one out immediately, but then they'll know I'm here. Then I'll have to fight hand-to-hand. I might have to show off more than I want. I don't want to give away more than necessary. I can't let them hurt her, though."_ In the end, the choice wasn't much of a choice. True to himself, he'd choose to help a friend at cost to himself. He let fly with a shaft.

* * *

By some miracle of providence, events worked totally in favor of Team Seven. Expecting a trap, the Sound _genin_ stood in a triangle with their backs to each other. Each would cover one-hundred eighty degrees in front of them to protect each other. Unfortunately for them, just before they could perform their defensive maneuvers, an arrow sped through with the amazing speed native to all wind techniques. The projectile pierced the bandaged leader's skull with a meaty plop just as Sakura activated her traps.

Zaku spotted traps coming from his direction. They were hastily set-up but well supplied, hurling a score of _kunai_, but he easily blasted them away with the sonic weapon grafted into his arm by Orochimaru. From Kin's angle, she blanketed her zone of responsibility throwing bells into the air. These then emanated sonic waves in similar concept to the rest of her team. These warded off projectiles in front of her.

The zone that would have been covered by Dosu was, instead, left empty. Projectiles of various sorts brained Zaku, and scourged Kin all over. She fell, soon to exsanguinate. Naruto quickly hustled into the clearing. "Sakura, are you okay? Where's Sasuke?"

Her first kills were so vivid in her mind, but Sakura Haruno felt almost giddy. The start of the day promised death for her. Instead, she scored a double victory in unanticipated fashion. The amount of blood spilled should have filled her with horror, but the elation of survival far outweighed anything else in her mind. "Yeah, let's grab Sasuke-kun and get going." She said in her positive daze.

So late in the exams, the forest was more graveyard than battleground. The path to the centrally-located tower was desolate, making for an easy, if disquieting, journey.

* * *

Author Profile: Lord of Misrule

He's actually a part of the Babylon 5 fandom, but one of my favorites nonetheless. If you are familiar in any way with Babylon 5, it's your classic sci-fi with some mysticism tweaked in. His work "Dilgar War" is the most epic of epics. It's 104 chapters and over 1.2 million words. And it manages to be very well crafted and researched although it could use a beta reader for grammar, punctuation, and spelling.


	10. States of Grievance

Inside the tower, Team Seven surveyed the results of the carnage that occurred over the previous five days. They'd barely made it in on time, so the cleanup efforts were in full swing not long after they arrived. _Chuunin_ teams brought back carcasses in various states of decay. Some bodies no longer had meat on the bones. Gaara's kills were obvious, they would be sent back to their home villages in jars of sticky human remains.

Naruto was especially relieved when the teams congregated to proceed to the next phase. He could see Team Eight and Team Ten had survived the horrors of the forest. He was less enthused to find the Sand Team among the triumphant. In all, six teams passed the Forest of Death. In addition to the teams already catalogued in Naruto's mind, the senior Leaf team with the boisterous green-clad boy had also passed. In addition to them, another older Leaf team made it through, though they looked like they would have been better off dead. A bespectacled boy with silver hair gathered up into a short ponytail was hunched over and breathing heavily. His two teammates were covered nearly head to toe including loose-fitting bandit masks. Their clothing was caked in blood and they had enough holes and gashes on them to tell the story. It looked like they'd lost a fight with a wood chipper. Understandably the proctor for the next phase dismissed them from further participation.

The assembled throng loitered about for a while, awaiting instructions. A voiced called out to them. "All remaining _chuunin_ candidates follow me." The voice belonged to a Leaf _tokubetsu jounin_. The plain looking ninja wore standard _jounin_ garb of dark blue with a flak vest. His _hitai-ite_ was worn as a cap, covering his head from which tufts of brown hair peeked out. He led the group a short distance to an underground chamber.

A large open space rested in the middle of the room which was completely ringed with expansive balconies. A slightly raised platform lay in one end like a stage. Upon it the _jounin_ team leaders of the remaining teams as well as the exam proctors stood. In front of those _jounin_ stood the Third Hokage in his dress regalia. The old man took his pipe from his mouth and looked up at the children.

"Congratulations on passing the second stage of the _chuunin_ exams." His voiced projected well over the entirety of the room without his having to yell. "The third stage awaits, but first, I'd like a word." The Hokage let the room settle down before beginning his speech.

"Before you continue, I must explain the true purpose of the exam and the true stakes. This exam fosters peace among the Shinobi Nations by acting as a proxy for total war. Make no mistake; your lives are at risk in this exam… as you should know by now. When the finals of the third stage commence, you will be fighting for the honor and reputation of your village. Important lords, wealthy businessmen, and the leadership of ninja villages will see you fight. You will be the most poignant example of your village's strength that many of them will ever see. You're risking your lives, for real stakes that affect your entire village. This is your war."

* * *

The proctor that had conducted the _chuunin_ to the room stood in its center as if to officiate over the proceedings. "My name is Hayate Gekko, and I'll be the proctor for this intermediary stage. It seems that the second stage has resulted in too many candidates. We're going to have some preliminary matches to thin the herd. Is there anyone who doesn't wish to fight?" He said through a minor coughing fit.

One hand in the crowd was raised. Naruto turned his head to look. It was the older Leaf _genin_ who was missing his team. "I promised my team we'd pass together. I can't go back on my word now. So I'm out." The proctor accepted his resignation from the exams and forged ahead.

"Alright then, look up there." He pointed to an electronic scoreboards raised above the dais where the _jounin_ stood earlier. "That scoreboard will announce the names of the participants chosen at random. The rules are as follows. This is a fight to death, unconsciousness, or forfeiture. My words are to be obeyed immediately and without question. Any and all techniques are allowed. Any questions?" The silence of the crowd signaled their understanding. "Let's begin."

The scoreboard flashed and two names appeared: **Naruto Uzumaki and Rock Lee**. The two contestants immediately squared off in the 'arena'-like ground floor. Like many of the boys, testing one's might was second nature to them. Moreover, their entire spirit, their _raison d'etre_, clashed as much as they themselves did. The boy sporting green, skintight clothes bonded with prominent eyebrows emanated a style all his own. "Begin."

Naruto began by making his signature army of shadow clones. It didn't take long for him to realize he would need every last one and maybe more. The older _genin_ wasted no time, covering the distance between them as soon as the clones came into existence. The _jinchuuriki_ was tested by the green-clad boy in no holds barred combat. Naruto was no slouch, but the speed and power of the other contestant was staggering. _"What the fuck? This guy's got speed and power almost like a _jounin_. He knows which one is the real me because of the bow too."_ Naruto made more clones to try to defend him. They were only marginally successful, but one thing became quite apparent to Naruto. _"He doesn't do anything but _taijutsu_. Let's see how he reacts when I start throwing the techniques around."_

Being a ranged fighter, Naruto applied an intuitive lesson. _"When you need to hit a fast moving target, you lead it. Don't shoot where he is, shoot where he's gonna be."_ He set a trap for the seeming juggernaut. With expert timing, Naruto substituted himself with a shadow clone just before the other boy could reach him. With smooth reactions borne of practice, he turned and fired at his previous position with fluid grace. The arrow caught the boy in the hand. He grunted in pain but didn't slow. He slammed into Naruto with his good hand, spinning the black-and-orange-garbed _genin_ to the ground. Naruto was nothing if not durable however. The taste of blood on his lip was not even an annoyance.

Lee, having only straightforward attacks, continued trying to overwhelm his junior comrade. _"Yosh! I cannot let up or Naruto-san will attrition me at range. I must end this as quickly as possible. He is the embodiment of youth to be able to withstand my _Gouken_ so easily, however."_ Lee ran straight at Naruto again. At the last moment, he demonstrated some tactical sense and veered off just before hitting the other boy. Like before, an arrow whizzed through the clone. He had hit his own clone to try to intercept Lee. Lee's maneuver had the lucky side effect of bringing him closer to the archer. He was able to get a kick in, which Naruto could only partially block. _"If that were most people, they would have broken their arms trying to block my kick."_

Naruto knew the other boy was on to him. He'd need something a little more daring. Again, he let the boy come to him. He anticipated this. Naruto substituted with a shadow clone again. Lee responded with his last minute evasion towards Naruto. Again, this was anticipated. He let the blow come towards him. Then, he did something that surprised the other boy. He dropped his weapon, revealing the _neko-te_ he wore on his right hand. Naruto dove at Lee and caught him in the shoulder with all four claws on the _neko-te_. The _taijutsu_ specialist was still game however. He dragged Naruto along with his hard earned physical strength. _"It's a good thing I don't have to take him down, just slow him down."_ Naruto hung on for dear life. Lee pummeled the younger boy, trying to shake him loose. Forgotten by Lee, the _yumi_ and its arrows lay by the wayside – but not for long. A shadow clone picked up the weapon. With the same measure skill as its progenitor, it took aim and loosed the shaft at the hobbled enemy. This arrow struck the green _genin_ through the meat of the thigh. He screamed, clutching at his leg. Now hobbled beyond hope of regaining any sort of alacritous movement, Naruto's clones revenged themselves upon the older _genin_.

A booming voice interrupted Naruto's assault. "Lee, take them off! You have my permission." Naruto looked up at the stands to find the source of those cryptic words. He cursed himself for his obtuseness. It was obviously the boy's _sensei_. He was the obvious progenitor for all the eccentricities of his acolyte. His lapse in concentration allowed his opponent to limp away for a short reprieve. When Naruto turned his attention back to the fight, the green-clad one was working at the bindings on some sort of device around his lower leg. There were dusty tan apparatuses underneath his orange leg warmers. He shook off the devices underneath the orange clothing. When he regained his feet, he seemed to have regained his former speed. He was perhaps a little faster even. Naruto would have been near panic if not for his own ace-in-the-hole. He threw his weapons to a clone and met the boy in hand-to-hand combat.

Surprising Lee, Naruto shot forth at speeds matching his own. They fought like this, with Naruto slowly gaining the upper hand. Lee, being experienced at fighting at great speeds, noticed what Naruto had done. Lee never made contact with Naruto's body. A pressurized film of air coated the younger boy. Also, the air around Naruto seemed to help rocket the boy around. It was like fighting a tornado. Even knowing the trick behind Naruto's speed and power, Lee couldn't find a counter no matter how he wracked his brain. Weariness crept up on him. _"Maybe I should have tried opening the gates while my body could still withstand it."_ Steadily losing blood from his puncture wounds the whole fight, Lee felt his body give up and his vision go black.

"Winner: Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

It was an eye-opening fight for some of the remaining contestants. The participants in the next match were two of those that were only mildly impressed. **Sasuke Uchiha vs Tenten**.

The two opponents started off rather conventionally. Sasuke took in his opponent's image. She was a girl, slightly older than him. Her appearance betrayed nothing about her fighting skills. Her sleeveless pink blouse revealed thin but well-toned arms, indicating she was no soft debutante. He'd have to test her first. _Kunai_ and _shuriken_ volleys were exchanged with little effect. It was merely a test of competence. Sasuke closed the distance to test her _taijutsu_. The cagey fighters looked for exploitable weaknesses. They circled each other in a standoff fashion. Approaching the girl was a chore in itself. His _sharingan _eye allowed him to avoid or deflect missiles as she threw them during his approach. As he reached her, she took out a concealed scroll, a weapon "poofed" into existence. His attack with a _kunai_ in hand was turned away by her long, three-pronged dagger – or _sai_ as Sasuke recalled. He pressed onward, trying to gain her measure in _taijutsu_. Disappointed, but not unexpected, Sasuke was deadlocked with the girl in this regards. _"Her team seems to specialize in _taijutsu_."_

Tenten found a new sense of respect for the rookies this year. Fighting the Uchiha was nearly as difficult as fighting her teammate, the Hyuuga genius Neji. His next attack came with ninja wires. He used hand-to-hand combat to slowly lay the wire around her before pulling taut. When he did, she was ready. With a calmness borne of experience – at least in her mind – she easily substituted out of the wires. The boy was relentless. As soon as she turned to face him again, her vision was filled by the sight of a ball of flame coming at her. She produced another scroll from whence came a _kanabou_. The giant club was like an oversized baseball bat with metal plates, studs, or spikes adorning the fat end. Its girth easily absorbed the fireball, turning it into a blazing mallet. With it, she charged the younger _genin_.

The monstrous weapon she wielded was at odds with her petite stature. That didn't stop her from wielding the weapon with deadly grace as Sasuke dodged and ducked for his life. The flaming weapon was an instant kill if it were to strike him. She hurled the massive weapon at him. It spun end over end like a caber. In concert with the weapon, she threw a _kunai_ trailing an explosive tag at her own weapon. Sasuke could see this clearly, but was only fast enough to roll to the side. The _kunai_ hit the _kanabou_ and the explosive tag detonated. The weapon was destroyed entirely. As close as he was, Sasuke was bombarded by a hail of splinters and hot metal studs. It hurt, but wasn't crippling at all. What was crippling was the haze of smoke from the flaming hunks of wood around him. Some light throwing weapons pierced the veil of smoke and a _shuriken_ hit him in the shoulder. The rest he avoided. He knew he had to get away, so he made a mad dash to an emptier sector of the 'arena' opposite where they'd been fighting.

_"This is getting ridiculous."_ Tenten thought. _"I never thought I'd have to use so many weapons on a rookie. I guess it's time for my final attack."_ The girl produced a couple of sizable scrolls, and looked at Sasuke with pity in her eyes.

Sasuke understood she was planning something big. His wounds were starting to wear on him, numerous as they were. Her attack came from the scrolls she held. She twirled them as weapons of every description rained down on him in a wall of steel. There was nowhere to run. In a gambit reminiscent of Naruto's durable style, Sasuke ran **at** the wall of steel. He picked the weakest point in the barrage – a section of _shuriken_ and _senbon_ – and ran through it. He deflected those projectiles heading for vital points, and let the rest of the projectiles score flesh wounds. The shock of seeing him run through her weapons shocked her for a split second. Sasuke was upon her as the shock wore off and simply stabbed her over where her liver was. It was a deep wound. Blackened blood pooled underneath her after she had lost consciousness from the sudden drop in blood pressure caused by the wound. Medics rushed to stabilize her as the proctor announced Sasuke's victory.

* * *

Sasuke caught the glare of Neji Hyuuga as he rejoined the crowd. "I only did that because she was good. Should take it as a compliment." Sasuke said with a slight smirk. Maito Gai, the _jounin_ _sensei_ for the two vanquished combatants plus Neji, looked like he was about to have an apoplexy. He turned an almost sickly shade of green to match his clothing while Kakashi gave his eye smile at full crinkle. The next match was announced: **Shikamaru Nara vs Kankuro of the Desert**.

The Sand ninja was furious by the time Shikamaru made it down to the 'arena' floor at his usual slugging pace. "Ready yet?" The proctor asked sardonically.

"What a drag, this guy looks like he wants to kill me." Though not particularly motivated, Shikamaru did want to win. Bowing out so close to the final stage by forfeit would have earned him a scolding from just about every woman he knew. "Alright, let's get on with this." He drawled.

Shikamaru was about the least intimidating ninja one could come across. He was scrawny, for a ninja, with a vacuous expression borne of inattentiveness. His ratty black hair was tied back in a wild ponytail. It was hard to take him seriously, so Kankuro didn't.

The Sand ninja immediately unpacked his weapon and went to work. The black-clad ninja's habit was to carry around a combat puppet, wrapped in bandages, on his back. In Konohagakure, he was among strangers who had no idea what it was, covered as it was. The wrappings were torn, revealing a gnarly looking mannequin with segmented limbs and a think body. Kankuro sent the puppet out to attack the wimpy looking kid.

For his part, Shikamaru used his intelligence to great effect. His evasive skills were top notch as he predicted the puppet's attack patterns and never let it get close to him. The machine was saturated with projectiles and blades. Acutely aware that the puppet's tricks could be anything, Shikamaru kept evading and watching with keen interest. He had plans for dealing with gas, poison, blades, elemental weapons, and so forth, but it would be of greater benefit to learn specifically what his opponent could do. Also, the Nara genius made a point of documenting the puppeteer's movements. The Sand ninja seemed to be doing little more than moving his fingers. _"That's the control mechanism."_

Shikamaru finally knew how he would defeat the older _genin_. First, however, he had to slow down the puppet and give himself some time and space. He ran away, putting as much distance as he could between him and the puppeteer. Then he turned and threw a brace of _kunai_ at the controller. Shikamaru's opponent was quick to withdraw his puppet and intercept the projectiles before they could land. Now, with the benefit of time and space, Shikamaru used his family's _Kagemane no jutsu_. The 'arena' was lined by balconies on all sides, casting shadows as the room was lit by ceiling lights. The silhouettes of the other candidates added even more shadow all around. The _Kagemane no jutsu_ easily captured the Sand ninja. With preternatural calm, as if he had planned this – which he had, Shikamaru deftly manipulated the older _genin_. The puppeteer was now the puppet as the Leaf ninja walked him over to where Tenten's weapons had landed from the previous match. He bent his knees, preparing to jump, and launched himself in the air. At the apex of the jump, Kankuro was suspended above the graveyard of weapons. Shikamaru cancelled his technique and let Kankuro fall on the weapons.

Kankuro recovered enough to avoid doing a belly flop onto the weapons, but there was no way to avoid getting hurt. He landed on his feet, atop a _shuriken_ and a _senbon_. He howled in pain as he was agonizingly hobbled. Small weapons though they were, his entire weight pushed them clean through the soles of his feet. Having hobbled his foe greatly, Shikamaru casually walked up to him and put a _kunai_ to his throat, forcing him to forfeit.

* * *

The scoreboard flashed the names of the next pair of fighters:** Chouji Akimichi vs Temari of the Desert**.

The match was hardly fair. She was a beautiful _femme fatale_, armed with her massive metal fan, against a boy barely acquainted with the realities of ninja life. Even their appearances betrayed the wide chasm in their skills. Temari's off-white tunic cinched by a red sash was clean and she well groomed. Her lustrous head of hair was controlled by four ponytails. She sported an immaculate appearance that could only be accompanied by a fastidious nature. In contrast, Chouji's mess of hair was capped by strange headgear, letting out two wild tufts of hair. He wore generic ninja shorts with a t-shirt and green vest. It was all loose and flowing, suggesting the boy put more thought into eating than showing an air of professionalism. This match pitted a predator against a boy who would only attack with the intent to kill if he were angered. Even then, attacking in anger meant little control. On the other hand, she was as savvy as they come. Her measured actions were effective and controlled. Chouji flailed about with his clan techniques, transforming his body into a meaty boulder to squash his enemy after she insulted his girth. She calmly dodged until Chouji had exhausted himself, then she blew him around like a rag doll with her wind release techniques. A blow to the back of the head with her metal implement ended it unquestionably.

* * *

The next match featured the last Sand _genin_ against Kiba Inuzuka. After having witnessed the red head's prowess in the forest, Kiba was understandably intimidated. Marshalling his courage, he stepped into the ring to test his mettle. The dog trainer observed his opponent with a new eye for detail. He wore black pants and short-sleeved shirt with mesh peeking out underneath. His eyes were rimmed in black. Kiba looked down to see standard _shinobi_ sandals. His enemy also wore the white feathery cloth of desert peoples. The strangest, and most relevant thing Kiba could detect, was that this deranged killer smelled like nothing but sand. It was like the boy was made of sand, no human scent accompanied the scent of silica.

When the match started, Kiba knew he had to bring every conceivable advantage he had to bear against the Sand ninja. He immediately fed his dog – Akamaru – a soldier pill. The soldier pill was, in reality, a performance enhancing drug full of stimulants and nutrients. The dog's fur grew red and its countenance changed to that of a more aggressive, feral animal. Not done, Kiba and his dog performed what they called _Juujin bunshin_ – or man-beast clone – turning Akamaru into a feral version of himself. The pair then attacked.

As with the rest of his life, Gaara could think of little else than how he could rend his enemies and drain their lifeblood with his sand. Long ago, someone close to him betrayed him. He learned then that only he would love himself. By killing all others, he was assuring his continued existence against those that might think to take it away from him. It also served the function of sating some … thing… inside of him. This thing had never forsaken him the way his loved one did. It would not forsake him now either. The feral ninja came close to attack him. Gaara briefly took in the sight of the grey-coated and fur-line vermin attacking him. He internally sneered at his piteous attempts to weigh his existence against Gaara's. He'd let them think they could win for a while. _"Mother always liked to play with her food…"_

For Kiba, it had been a disheartening battle. Every strike he could muster was met by a shield of sand. _"I don't think Akamaru or I even touched this guy."_ Indeed, his opponent was completely unperturbed in his own little world. God forbid he ever wake from it and actually fight back.

Unfortunately, for Kiba, he did just then. As Kiba and Akamaru ran another sortie on their desiccated target, the tables were turned on them. Instead of merely blocking his strikes, the sand gave. His clawed, curled fingers dug into the soft sand. When he had sunk his arm in up to the elbow, the sand compressed again, trapping him. Akamaru had similar difficulties. The rest of Gaara's sand crept in on the duo to envelop them. Fearful for his and his dog's life, Kiba surrendered. "I forfeit." The sand continued until Kiba could feel the fine grit all over him and his vision became completely covered.

Outside the quartz cocoon, there was much commotion as the watching _jounin_ leapt into action to free their own. Up on the balcony, Naruto drew and nocked his bow. He knew that if the _jounin_ could free Kiba, it would be unlikely he could, but it never hurt to be prepared.

After a word with the Hokage, the Sand team's _jounin sensei_ came down to try to talk his student out of doing something foolish. The Sunagakure _jounin_ looked intimidating enough in his uniform and mysterious head coverings, but it had become apparent Gaara regarded nearly everyone like ants. "Please Gaara, don't start an incident. You are embarrassing your father and your village." A long silence ensued. If someone had so much as sneezed then, there was likely to be a massacre one way or another. Whatever shred of good sense Gaara retained asserted itself just in time.

"Fine."

* * *

To return the situation to normalcy, Hayate quickly proceeded to the next match. The scoreboard turned up two names among a shortening list. **Ino Yamanaka vs Sakura Haruno**.

Naruto gave his teammate a reassuring smile as if to say _you got this_. That was as much as he could manage. He was surprised by his own subdued reaction towards his long-standing crush. He expected a much more enthusiastic send-off. The truth dawned on him that he wanted both contestants to do equally well. For an orphan who had far too few close relationships in his life, a little time spent together went a long way. The couple of times he had bumped into Ino Yamanaka, after they'd become _genin_, he'd spent a good portion of his day with her rather than go off on his own business. Comparatively, Sakura Haruno was on his team. They'd defied death together, even if she admittedly hadn't done much she still had been there. _"Great. Desperation, thy name is Naruto Uzumaki."_ Naruto thought self depreciatingly. _"Just a handful of heart to heart episodes and I'm under the sway of an unrequited love triangle. Whatever, at least they're friends of some sort. Better than what I usually do... Iruka, how did you put up with a knucklehead like me?"_

While Naruto was lost within his thoughts, the match had started. Sakura had a look of grim determination and radiated a new attitude of steely determination. This wasn't lost on Ino Yamanaka. She'd been watching the matches just like everyone else and had come to some unique conclusions. _"Sakura-chan looks like most of the contestants that have fought before… like they're ready to put their opponents in a blender and set it to liquefy. Also, Naruto and Sasuke looked amazing, there's no way she would be on their team and not learn a thing. I'm going to have to fight dirty."_ Luckily for her, a plan came to mind immediately. It was devious beyond all reckoning. _"The only useful skill I have is my _shintenshin_, and there's no way she's going to sit still and let me get her. I have to use it on a stationary target… let's make this obvious for her."_

Sakura saw her old friend smirk and suddenly felt a little less sure of herself. She was confident she was now determined enough to beat the blond "pig's namesake" to a pulp. However, experience had taught her that shit happens. Her friend made a familiar hand formation, signaling she was about to use one of her family's techniques. As an old friend, she recalled their time together as children. Ino was from a fairly prominent clan that used chakra to fuel mentally themed techniques. The obvious application being that they took over people's minds. Her blond friend had no qualms about sharing what she would be capable of one day… a young _kunoichi_'s vanity.

"_Shintenshin_" Ino called out. Sakura, in a sudden panic, threw herself sideways to avoid having her mind controlled like a puppet. She rolled to her feet to see her old friend and current rival slumped against the wall, seemingly knocked out. Before she could celebrate, she felt a blow to the side of her head and blacked out.

The assembled throng looked down in confusion. One who was supposed to be a bystander in the match – one Naruto Uzumaki – had jumped down from the viewing balcony and knocked out his teammate. It made no sense for most of them, although the _jounin _spectators figured it out soon enough.

Naruto raised his hand. "I'm Ino Yamanaka." The wrong gendered blonde claimed. The proctor looked over towards where the Hokage stood viewing the match.

"Is that allowed sir?" The proctor asked, thoroughly confused.

"I suppose." The old man said. "Yamanaka mind techniques aren't limited to taking over enemies. They can benefit allies or conscript neutrals as well. I suppose, for the purpose of these exams, we can count spectators as 'part of the environment'. The use of which is quite legal."

* * *

Ino Yamanaka, out of both respect for her friend and expediency, chose not to delve into his memories. Instead, she went straight for motor control to use the whiskered boy as a weapon against her rival. As she released her hold over her blond bludgeon, she wondered with mild intensity at what secrets she'd left alone.

Ino reawakened to find herself gripped tightly by what had been her puppet a minute earlier. "We need to talk." He said, pointing upward. They both reached the viewing balcony again when he pushed her into a corner, worried look in his eyes. "What did you see while you were in there?" He asked, tapping his head.

The boy had a hand upon her shoulder, its tight grip held her in place. "That hurts, Naruto, let me go." She struggled.

"I have to know." He said more forcefully. "What did you learn?"

She looked and still saw the worry. He wasn't all that angry, but he was afraid. Coming from a family that could take jaunts inside of people's minds, she could tell how people felt by looking at them. Naruto made no effort to hide his emotions. "I don't know what you're afraid of. I didn't learn anything." He looked at her a while longer, until he was sure she was telling the truth. As he let go, she gave him a stinging slap on the cheek. "Do that again, though, and I'll be expecting dinner and a movie." She smirked, walking off. A flustered Naruto walked off towards his own team's place.

* * *

Once Naruto had regained his place, the next pair of _chuunin_ candidates had already taken the ground floor. **Hinata Hyuuga vs Neji Hyuuga**_**.**_

The next two fighters looked eerily similar from the outside. They had light complexions contrasting with dark hair of differing hues. Their eyes were unnatural milky pools without pupils. She wore a cream colored jacket over dark blue pants. His color scheme was similar, a khaki jacket over dark brown shorts. Any thoughts of equality were shattered in a comparison of their demeanor.

To those who knew them, not much was expected of this fight. Naruto had never really delved into the current politics of Konohagakure's clans. He was informed of the basic principles by Ebisu, but hadn't taken this particular lesson to heart yet. "Kakashi-sensei, what's going on? They look pretty similar. And I've never asked Hinata about her family before." Naruto asked, making a leap of logic. He figured that two people of the same clan had to be related and have history. This period in his life saw him correct more often than ever.

"They're cousins." Kakashi told him simply. "This could be ugly. Hinata is part of the main family of the Hyuuga. They control the clan. Neji belongs to the branch family. They're subservient to the main family. I've heard from Gai that Neji is the resentful type."

"That sounds kinda off to me. Hinata never showed any signs of superiority when we were at the academy. She was probably the nicest person there. Why would he be pissed at her?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi shrugged. "He's just displacing his anger from the whole main family onto her. What makes it ugly is that, as you've said, Hinata is nice. Neji, on the other hand, is a stone cold genius with a year of experience on his cousin."

Below, Neji seemed to grow while Hinata shrank from his presence. "I'll spare you the shame of a piteous defeat, Hinata-sama. Just forfeit. We both know you don't have the resolve for a fight of any sort. You were too gentle to stand up to your little sister. You were too unsure of yourself to excel as a _kunoichi_. You try to avoid conflict and agree with everyone. Face it, this is who you are. And I am a genius, perfectly willing to fight and test myself. You can't change our fate, main and branch. You can't change what will happen; if you fight, you will lose." The elder Hyuuga smirked, knowing his words would have more impact on his cousin than mere words should have on anyone else.

Not once did Hinata interrupt the defamation of her fighting reputation. How could she? It was mostly true. Her internal disparaging of her own character was interrupted from the peanut gallery.

"Hey asshole," Naruto called out, "you're giving some good reasons why she should wipe the floor with you." Naruto gestured challengingly at the older _genin_. "It takes more balls to care for how other people feel than it does to cry about fate while stroking off. She should beat the shit out of you because she has a good reason to fight. She's got people to stand up for and make 'em proud. You're a bully beating up kids to make yourself and your little dick feel better. Do it, Hinata, fight him and prove that kind people are strong too."

"Shut up, loser, you know nothing about my pain!" Neji yelled as retort.

Naruto was still equally furious. "That's just it. It's **your** pain. The easiest fucking thing in the world is to pay attention to your own troubles. That's why Hinata is better than you. She doesn't let her troubles change the way she treats others." Naruto thought about his stance and knew he was being at least a little facetious. _"She does let her pain guide her actions. It makes her meek. But at least she doesn't use it as an excuse to treat others like shit. I'll support her any day of the week before this bastard."_

"That's enough." A small, stuttering voice broke through the argument. "Let's fight, Neji-niisan. Let me try to change how you look at the world. _Let me try to change the way you look at me…"_

The petite girl engaged her more adroit cousin in a deadly dance. Their movements were all fleet and practiced, especially the arms. The impacts were slight, but the well-informed knew they mattered. After minutes of graceful combat, Neji slipped past Hinata's guard and landed a touch on the valley between her developing breasts. She felt the pain of the contact and coughed a little blood. _"That was lucky. It must have nicked a capillary in the lung and not a major blood vessel."_

In the stands, Naruto instinctively knew he was watching something informative. The blows they delivered to each other seemed to slight to cause internal bleeding. Something about their style was more than meets the eye. Kakashi seemed to sense his confusion and supplied the answer. "The Hyuuga fight by expelling chakra and piercing into the enemy's internals. That's why it's called Gentle Fist. Their eyes can see chakra pathways and hit them to cause damage."

Hinata fought back, landing her own touch. Neji seemed unaffected to her shock. "I've disabled the _tenketsu_ in your arms." He tauntingly revealed to her. Drawing up her sleeve, she could see chakra burn marks. He spoke the truth. Her chances of victory were small in the beginning, now they were nonexistent. Daring to hope, she fought on. In a moment that actually shocked her enemy, she gained an advantageous position for a moment. Instead of trying to land a Gentle Fist strike, she balled her fist and swung. It connected, leaving a welt on her cousin. He was tough, however. It merely enraged him.

The match degenerated into the scenario of Neji slowly beleaguering his younger cousin. He landed a few more touches to dangerous regions of her thoracic cavity. Bloodied and wearied, she eventually succumbed. But she fought spiritedly enough. No one could fault her for losing against the same style practiced by a boy with a year of experience on her. That didn't seem to impress her conqueror, however.

"That's what happens when a loser tries to be something they're not." He smirked up at Naruto.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "She did more than you thought she would. You thought she wouldn't even fight. Look what happened, she slugged you across the face. She may not be stronger than you, but it wasn't you who deserved to win. I'll finish what she started. That's a promise."

* * *

The preliminaries were complete. The remaining contestant, besides the day's winners, was Shino Aburame – who received a bye due to Kabuto's forfeiture. Before leaving, the _chuunin_ candidates were shown the bracket that would be used for the final stage. It was a perfectly even bracket with the fighters arranged in such order: Temari of the Desert, Ino Yamanaka, Neji Hyuuga, Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara, Sasuke Uchiha, Gaara of the Desert, and Shino Aburame.

They were then informed that they would have a month to prepare for possibly the most publicized event of their lives. Naruto reflected on how he had a lot he needed to accomplish.


	11. Master and Apprentice

"Going somewhere?" A black and orange figure asked from atop the battlements of a section of Konohagakure's wall near the main gate. He looked down to see his teammate and _sensei_ prepared to go on a journey. They packed lightly but a few extra provisions and a change of clothes still betrayed their intent at going someplace.

"I was about to take Sasuke on a training expedition. I suppose you want to come too?" The _sensei_ asked laconically. Sasuke's scowl deepened. Apparently he was not one to relish the sharing of Kakashi's tutelage.

"No thank you. Without Sakura to take the heat off me, Sasuke would want to kill me in a week… tops." Naruto said, truthful despite the flippancy of the statement. "I can find ways to improve myself, but I wouldn't mind pointers before you go."

Kakashi shrugged. "We have to get going. If you really need an instructor, there's plenty of _jounin_ left in the village. Don't you know a few of them?" He waved and walked off, Sasuke in tow. Naruto watched his two team members walk off.

"_Back to square one, I wonder what Ebisu and Konohamaru are doin'…"_

_

* * *

_

The aforementioned pair was actually quite hard at work. At the Third Hokage's estate, Naruto found Konohamaru doing his daily calisthenics. "What'cha up to ya big baby?" Naruto teased. Ebisu stood over the boy, supervising his training as always.

Impressing Naruto, the younger boy kept focusing on his regimen. He huffed out a reply as he did pushups. "That guy in the black hood was a lot older than me and kinda scary. I think my smartass teacher here once said 'discretion is the better part of valor'… whatever that means." Naruto laughed.

Ebisu stepped in. "Young master, you got the meaning right. The saying means that you should retreat if it is the logical choice. Of course you should fight when you must, but if the reward isn't worth the potential risk…" Ebisu let his words trail off, accentuating the unspoken implication. "What happened that you were forced to run away?" Ebisu finally got to pondering.

"I'm just teasin' you Konohamaru. He would have given you a thrashing. That guy made it past the second stage." Naruto allowed.

"Wait, so someone beat him?" Konohamru asked. He stopped his pushups and began to practice his throwing accuracy with _shuriken_.

"Chea he did." Naruto confirmed. "One of my classmates beat him. It'll be a month before that guy can walk again." Naruto said, remembering the fight.

The youngster was impressed as well. "Whoa! What about you, bro? Who did you beat?" Konohamru asked enthusiastically. He was like a puppy, happily wagging its tail, waiting for details of what happened during the exams.

"One of Gai's students – it was the one that looks like his secret love child." Naruto explained.

Ebisu whistled, impressed at the achievement. "_Kohai_, you know it is extraordinary for a rookie to progress as far as you have, right?"

"That's nothing," Naruto beamed, "five of the eight finalists are rookies!" Ebisu looked astounded. Pressed for details, Naruto gave a regaling account of the _chuunin_ exams thus far. Both student and teacher eagerly lapped up the story. "Anyways, that's kind of what I'm here for. Ebisu-sempai, do you have any pointers for me?"

Ebisu nodded. "Come with me. Young master, why don't you perform your _kata_ in the _dojo_ while I help Naruto-kohai." Ebisu said, speaking of combat sequences to ingrain movements into a student of a _taijutsu_ art. As for Naruto, he led the burgeoning young man to his office. Ebisu dug up a booklet and tossed it to Naruto. "These are some mid level techniques of various elements. I apologize for not being able to help you further, but the fact is you may already be as powerful as me. Perhaps you are even more so, for I am a _tokubetsu jounin_ mostly on my merits as a scholar of the ninja arts."

Naruto took the booklet and offered a deep bow. "Every bit helps. Thanks a lot, Ebisu-sempai." He spent the rest of the day pouring through the contents of the booklet.

* * *

Ino Yamanaka was bursting at the seams with excitement. She sat upon a stool in her family's kitchen while her mother was fixing supper. The click of an opening door told her that the person she was waiting on had come. She ran to greet him.

"Daddy! Guess what I have to tell you." She said with palpable glee.

Inoichi Yamanaka was a father to an aspiring _kunoichi_, one with whom he shared the same hair color, clean-limbed body, and sharply aristocratic features. His long time friends both had sons who had become a team with his little girl. And they teased him mercilessly about having a 'princess'. Time like these, though, he wouldn't trade it for anything. "You did…"

By way of reply, she nodded her head up and down as if she were trying to detach her head. "That's my girl!" Inoichi drew her up into a bear hug.

"That means I'm going to have to do extra training to prepare." She informed her father.

The proud father nodded with a more solemn contentedness. "Right, we'll start tomorrow. Now let's have dinner and you can tell me about what happened in the exams."

Yuka Yamanaka was born into a common family of botanists. Her family had provided the flowers that the Yamanaka Flower Shop sold since before her time. When she was young, she met her future husband as their parents were doing business. He was a few years older and seemed like a perfect prince charming. The highly respected nature of ninjas and ninja clans in Konoha solidified this. So when she was of age to enter the ninja academy, she broke from her family's traditional occupation and joined. Luckily for her, when she was tested, she had just enough affinity for chakra manipulation to be allowed to join. Many common-born people never developed an affinity for chakra manipulation of any type.

During her stint, she worked furiously hard to improve herself and was able to graduate. Her ninja career had gone nowhere though. She's seen combat a few times with non -ninjas¸ but never advanced in rank beyond _genin_. Meanwhile, Inoichi advanced up the ranks so that their paths did not intersect much if at all. Frustrated, she went back to the waiting arms of her family, giving up on ninja life. Her mother and father grew old and frail before their time, so she took up the mantle of running her family's business. This was when she met, was courted by, and fell in love with Inoichi. She never impressed him by being a _kunoichi_, she won his heart by being a woman, and he a man. The salient point in all this was that she was out of her depth listening to her daughter and husband speaking about ninja life.

She was fully proficient in other things, as the sumptuous dinner she'd laid out gave testament to. She'd made crowned rack of lamb with an arugula-spinach-cherry tomato salad tossed in light vinaigrette. She enjoyed the slow pace of being a wife and mother, reveling in the comforts of family. On this occasion, though, something more was needed. Trying to remember as much as she could from her defunct ninja days, she listened.

"Sakura-chan was a lot different than I remember. It was like she was a wild animal. She could and would hurt me to advance." Ino said, popping a cherry tomato in her mouth afterwards.

"She's learned what it takes to succeed then. What did you do to get past her?" Inoichi asked.

"I couldn't hit her with the _shintenshin_, she knows about that and it's too slow, so I aimed at a target behind her. She had no idea, so I took control of her teammate and knocked her out with him." Ino explained.

"Who?" Inoichi cocked his head as he asked.

A trace of a smile graced Ino's face. "It's a kid from our class and her teammate – Naruto Uzumaki."

Inoichi was a veteran of many interrogations and could read people like a book, a skill his daughter was quickly gaining. He raised an eyebrow. _"She's trying not to smile. God help me I don't want to deal with her and boys yet…"_

"He was a goofball back in the academy, but he's so different now. He has all these new abilities he's been working hard on. He's serious too, when he needs to be. I think, from what I saw, he could fight the clan geniuses on an even footing. I had no idea he'd become this impressive." Her eye had a faraway look as she described his exploits.

_"Damn. I hope the little bastard's learned some self control or else…"_ Inoichi internally promised.

"That reminds me of something. After I released control of him, he buttonholed me afterwards. He was obviously afraid that I had looked into his memories. What could he possibly have to hide?" Ino wondered absently and aloud.

Inoichi was worried at this. "Did he do anything?"

"He was a little rough when he grabbed me, but it was nothing. The weirdest thing was how scared he was that I'd find out whatever he was trying to hide." She explained.

"Just let it go, princess." Inoichi commanded. "I can tell you that yes there is something about him, but it's something that isn't for public consumption if you know what I mean." Inoichi knew the boy, by himself, was probably harmless – except for the fact of being a boy. The lengths he'd go through to protect his secret was another matter entirely.

Ino was not entirely convinced. In fact, she was even more curious, but set aside the matter for now. "Okay daddy. Anyways, I was wondering if you would help me with our family techniques. I can't keep betting it all on landing the _shintenshin_."

After dinner, Ino helped her mother clean up before retiring to her room. Inoichi still sat at the dinner table, stewing over something. Yuka came over to comfort him. She could almost read his thoughts. "So what's got you so upset, hon?"

Inoichi knew what she was thinking. He was, indeed, a concerned father… but not for the reason she thought. The ninja in him worried about her getting close to the container of the Kyuubi. His wife was one of the few that never cared to learn of the fate of the Kyuubi after its sealing, so she didn't know. He had nothing against the boy. The problem was his demon made him a magnet for trouble.

* * *

For Naruto, progress with the booklet he was given by Ebisu was coming along with mixed results. The _futon_ – or wind release – techniques were simple. They were just variations on a concept known to him. Nature manipulation into wind was becoming second nature to Naruto. The basic concepts were that wind could be compressed and made to cut like it was solid or pressurized to generate crushing force.

The other elements were frustrating, however. He chose fire as a second element to work on. In his notes, Ebisu wrote down some complementary information about the elements from which Naruto chose fire.

Katon_ – or fire release – is primarily stimulated by an overload of chakra through a compression of physically dominated chakra. The physical component of chakra decomposes into waste heat, generating fire. Once ignition happens, chakra overload should be cancelled and pure chakra used to propagate the fire and expel it._

After days of trying, Naruto could get a spark every so often. If he got a flame going, controlling the fire was manageable enough. Still, when your life is on the line, a twenty percent chance at succeeding with a _jutsu_ was intolerable. _"Maybe I can try earth release…"_

_

* * *

_

Her father's more advanced variation of the family's technique – the _shinranshin_ – was difficult. Really difficult. It seemed dear old dad wasn't a _jounin_ without good reason. The natural consequence of attempting to control someone was that your own consciousness wanted to be there. Remote mind control using a chakra anchor was like trying to look left and right at the same time. She couldn't stop her astral projection to stay, but a useful side effect of the training became apparent soon after.

Using modest amounts of chakra, Ino found she could control the path of her astral projection even mid flight. It was almost as good, eliminating the possibility of a miss, but a familiar downside still presented itself. Her body would be left defenseless. _"How can I get around this little problem?"_

_

* * *

_

On another mundane day of training, the last thing Naruto expected was to be ambushed from behind. A weight collided with his back, sending him face down into the grass. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, but by now he knew not to panic. The weight on top of him was much lighter than he'd expected, almost negligible for a boy of his constitution. He shifted his weight and rolled until he was on top. Twisting his hips, he was able to plant his feet into the ground and leverage himself around to turn to face his attacker that was now trapped under him.

Said attacker stuck her tongue out playfully. "Didn't you try this position once already? I said I'd first be expecting dinner and a movie, you lout." Naruto got up and brushed himself off. Ino's playful teasing was becoming weary. A lot of that had to do with the fact it was working. Otherwise, Naruto was becoming tired of trying to figure out why she was picking on him of all people. "I was wondering if you could teach me something." She said innocently, her prior flirtatiousness forgotten.

"What do you want to know?" He asked cautiously. He put out his hand to help her up as well.

Ino took his hand and leapt upwards, leveraging his weight. "Shadow clones, I want to learn shadow clones." He looked at her unsure of what to say. She saw this and tried to further reason with him. "Whenever I use my family's _ninjutsu_, I leave my body defenseless. If I learn shadow clones, I can defend myself."

"They take an awful lot of chakra, can you handle it?" He asked. "I don't want you to die of chakra depletion while I'm teaching you."

She took the risks in stride. "Aw, you sound like you care a lot." Her tone was sickeningly sweet. She still wasn't serious; she was still playing with him.

"I'm serious, Ino-chan. I'm not the smartest guy, but I do know this takes it out of you." He said sternly.

Ino shrugged. "Well, I don't plan on trying more than one clone. Maybe I'll try two if it goes well."

"Alright then," Naruto resigned himself, "let's try it. First off, it's mostly starts like the basic _bunshin no jutsu_. However, once you make a clone you have to, for sake of a better term, _fill_ it with more chakra. A _bunshin_ is a shell of chakra holding up an illusion. The shadow clone has innards giving it form." Ino nodded at all this.

"Alright, I think I understand." She formed the hand pattern Naruto did and concentrated. The shell was done easily from her experience with the academy technique. When she tried to fill the clone, her chakra fizzled from losing the shell as she filled it. Nothing happened. Ino struggled with the technique a few more times before she started to feel more familiar with the chakra manipulations. She'd made a perfect shadow clone. _"I also feel like Tora-chan's scratching post."_ She thought, referring to an annoyingly hostile runaway cat many _genin_ teams retrieved as a D-class duty. The shadow clone lasted about a minute before it dispersed from lack of chakra.

Ino collapsed in a heap. She awoke after only having blacked out for a second. Naruto ran over to her panicked. She was panting heavily when he rolled her over to check on her. "You weren't kidding about the strain." She managed past labored breathing.

"Don't scare me like that again!" Naruto practically shouted in her face. His head was hovering over hers and he was down on hands and knees ready to inspect the damage before he realized she was okay. He exaggeratedly huffed in mock anger.

His breath tickled at her face, accentuating the feeling of light-headedness she was feeling from her lack of chakra. She unthinkingly raised her head slightly and gave him a peck on the cheek. Belatedly, she realized what she'd done. _"Why did I do that?"_ She thought, finally feeling slightly awkward.

_"Why did she do that?"_ Naruto asked himself, still frozen like a deer in the headlights. He absently rubbed at his cheek.

The more reflective girl was in the process of answering her question while the boy was still fumbling for a cogent thought. _"When I was little, my mom always talked about how she and dad got together. I guess it fueled my own girlish dreams."_ Back then, as a little girl, she thought it wonderfully fanciful. It was around the same time she'd begun to take interest in Sasuke Uchiha. _"I had always wanted to be a badass _kunoichi_ to made daddy proud, but I also loved mom's fairy tale romance. To keep both, I needed a prince charming that was an incredibly strong ninja. Sasuke fit the bill."_ That didn't explain how Naruto came to take Sasuke's place in her fantasy world. _"Mom hooked up with dad after she quit being a ninja. I get it, she stopped all false pretenses. I guess I did too. I stopped idolizing Sasuke and admitted someone could top him. And it wears on a girl when a guy ignores her long enough. I can admit he's cute in his own way too. Doesn't hurt that I can actually get a rise out of him." _With an inward giggle, she remembered all the ways and times she flustered him with a few words. She could admit he could play the role of prince charming and still be relatable on a personal level. Focusing on his face again, she realized something else. _"Hmm, square up that jaw and lose a bit of baby fat around the cheeks…"_ Ino felt herself flush at the mental image. She hooked her arms around his back and tugged.

Naruto was still at the stage of being dumbstruck. The thirteen year old male in him reasserted itself in time, though. He let his hands roam, relishing new and heady feelings. _"Holy shit, holy fuck! I'm feeling up Ino Yamanaka!"_ She initiated a full on kiss and Naruto felt a wet, muscular presence in his mouth. Added to the fact of where his hands and body were, Naruto was in a state of mental shutdown… almost. They were in a general training ground where anyone could happen upon them. His self-conscious aspect let out a sensor pulse.

Against all reason, he did feel another presence. There was a man hiding in a tree with some sort of cylindrical device pointed at them. He grabbed Ino and rolled the two around until he was under her looking up. With a free hand dangling at his side, he pulled out a _shuriken_ and hurled it where he sensed the presence. The tree shook and a veteran looking man with a mane of white hair jumped out of it, avoiding the weapons. He disappeared and reappeared close to the teenage pair in the grip of adolescent ardor.

He waved his hands beseechingly, a small notepad and pencil in one hand. "No need to stop on my account. Keep going, you're doing fine." The man said with an overly enthused grin on his face. Now noticing the new presence, Ino shrieked.

"Who are you?" She asked accusingly.

He leered at her. "I'm glad you asked, my dear. I am Mount Myobokugama's holy master _sennin_, or toad sage. Remember it well!" He announced as he struck a pose reminiscent of _kabuki_ theatre. The younger pair had good occasion to fully take in the strange man's image as he did so. His _hitai-ite_ was a strange horned style with the symbol for 'oil' on it. His clothes consisted of a red vest over olive-green _gi_ and wooden _geta _sandals.

Something clicked in their minds. "You're Jiraiya of the Legendary Three Ninjas?" They asked, astonished.

"Yup." He proudly confirmed.

"We've got the finals of the _chuunin_ exam coming up. Could you train us?" Naruto asked excitedly, the man's vulgar hobby forgotten.

He seemed to consider it. "That depends…"

Ino felt a chill go down her spine. "What?"

"What are you two going to do for me?" The toad sage asked. Though he seemed ambivalent, he was actually quite sanguine on the prospect of training them. _"Minato's kid must be pretty good to have sensed me. He's even better than his old man when it comes to the ladies too. That blonde is going to be a real hot piece in a few years. He's like the son I've always wanted."_

Jiraiya acted as though he'd finally settled on a decision after long debate. "In addition to being a ninja of considerable skill and sex appeal," he said, winking at the girl," I also happen to be a writer." This got the 'huh' look from the pair. He pulled out an orange colored book to demonstrate.

Naruto had an immediate reaction. "That's the porno that Kakashi-sensei reads. You write that?" The book was quite irksome to Naruto. It was downright disrespectful how Kakashi would whip out the book and read it during team training, missions, and the times in between. "You have really got to be a pervert to write smut."

"Correction: super pervert!" He said with a proud smile.

Naruto pondered on this. "Well, I suppose you are kind of a big cheese around here. So I dub thee… _hentai-dono_." He said, the word meaning Lord Pervert. Ino could only nod along, if the shoe fits…

_"At least it's somewhat respectful." _The old lecher seemed to be amiable towards the name. "Nice!" He held out a hand with the thumb pointed up appreciatively. "As I was saying, I'll train you guys if you give me inspiration for my books."

Ino looked indignant, mostly because she'd actually consider some pretty lewd possibilities if it meant she could become a badass _kunoichi_. "You mean you want us to…" She left things better off unsaid. "And you want to take notes of us…" Ino felt her face heat up.

"Deal!" The hulking old lecher agreed before Ino could dispute anything. "First, I'm going to show you something I worked out with the Yondaime – or Fourth Hokage. Watch closely." The pair, though suspicious of his deal, eagerly took instruction. A skill belonging to the Fourth Hokage was nothing to sneeze at. For something like that, their privacy might actually be fair price. Not to mention he never mentioned when or the exact circumstances in which they'd have to pay.

Jiraiya took out a scroll and unfurled it. A mountain of perfectly round water balloons, minus the inflation port, appeared. He took one up in his hand and held it out, his hand full open. The balloon rumbled in his hand, then burst. "This is called the _rasengan_. You try it."

Each teenager took a water balloon. Ino stared at it, trying to plumb its mysteries. Naruto went right to work experimenting. His balloon shook but didn't explode. It wasn't pressurized enough to explode just from slight agitation. There was something else to this. Naruto made a coterie of shadow clones and they went to work alongside him.

An hour later, a wet splash was heard. "Hey boss, I got it." The doppelganger claimed.

"How did you do it?" The original asked.

The clone gave a grin to mirror its progenitor. "If you move your chakra in multiple directions, it'll…" The clone, like its master, wasn't known for eloquence. "I don't know what the word is, but spinning in multiple directions makes it go crazy and it pops." Hearing this, Naruto and the other clones tried this. A series of wet splashes could be heard. Ino too, acted upon this. Her balloon quaked to the edge of breaking, but fizzled.

Naruto's almost-paramour had a pouty look. "I don't think my chakra's back yet."

"It's okay, Ino-chan. At least you know how it's done." He said reassuringly.

* * *

The first step ended the day, but the toad sage stuck around. The teenagers were taught the second stage with mixed result. Brute force training was Naruto's specialty. Adding power to his chakra was easy with practice forcing chakra out of his chakra ports more forcefully. Ino, on the other hand, was defeated at this point. She'd have a lot of training to do to max out her chakra circulation system. Realistically, she'd probably have to wait until she was older and her chakra circulatory system was more developed.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya demonstrated the final step for Naruto. He held another water balloon. Nothing happened. Jiraiya then slammed the balloon into a nearby tree. The flimsy shell of the balloon disintegrated, revealing a glowing blue orb of pure chakra. The chakra cored through the bole of the tree, making a perfectly round hole of destruction. "You have to combine the rotation of step one with the power of step two. The trick is, you have to keep it in a sphere."

Naruto nodded. "That concentrates the power, right?" The sage nodded, slightly impressed. Hours later, he was slightly less impressed. Even with a horde of clones, Naruto was stumped. "This is like trying not to think of an idea when it's already in your head. It's unnatural trying to spin your chakra a bunch of different ways and keep it contained. You can't do two way different things at once." Then he realized what he was saying.

His clones all began to spin chakra in a single different direction. After a while, his clones dispelled and he tried again. He made a perfectly formed _rasengan_… for all of about five seconds before it destabilized and released its energy. Sweat dripped down Naruto's brow. It took all his concentration to hold the sphere as long as he did. "Keep working on it, I guess." The toad sage offered.

* * *

A few days before the tournament, Naruto completed the _rasengan_. It was like learning to juggle. Once you know how, you just have to practice until your movements are thoughtless. Naruto figured he could blow off the couple days, or he could spend them constructively. Neji was his first matchup; he had to learn about him.

Thankfully, Hinata was near the end of her convalescence, and could accept visitors at the hospital. If anyone knew about the Byakugan and the Gentle Fist, it'd be her. The girl, for whom he promised to avenge her honor, though she didn't know it, was easy enough to find. Her room was given by the front desk of the hospital and Naruto made his way there. Walking the hall, Naruto briefly, and silently, waxed poetic about the alienating nature of the shiny linoleum and sterile air.

He entered Hinata Hyuuga's listed room just as her teammates were leaving. "What's going on guys?" Naruto asked as friendly greeting.

"Not much man, just visiting. That bastard cousin of his did a number on her. I wish I was in your place so I could tear him a new one." Kiba stated with gusto.

"Don't worry, his ass is grass, and I've got the lawnmower." Naruto replied confidently.

Seeing a completely different side to his friend the last several months, Kiba didn't bother to disagree. "We never thanked you for getting us out of that fracas in the forest, did we?" Kiba reminded.

"Anytime dude."

Shino chose the moment to intercede on Hinata's behalf. "I'm sure Hinata would like to thank him as well. Visiting hours are limited, we should let Naruto-san be about his business."

The boy members of Team Eight said their goodbyes and left. Naruto opened the door with a click, drawing Hinata's attention. She was immediately flushed in the face to see who had come. "Naruto-kun!" She simultaneously squealed and stuttered.

"Hey, take it easy. Just wanted to see how you were doing." Naruto sat down next to her bed. Naruto took her hand I what he thought was a sympathetic manner. This just led Hinata to the brink of a visible coronary. _"Same old Hinata."_ Naruto thought, though something tickled the back of his mind. _"Ino had close to the same reaction just before she…"_ Naruto carefully considered his thoughts. _"No way! Could Hinata actually be into me too?"_ A part of Naruto did a happy dance in his mind. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he could be popular with the girls.

Turning his thoughts back on track, Naruto relayed to her the events of the exams after she'd passed out. "What he did was wrong, Hinata. I mean to make him understand that." Hinata was in the unenviable position of choosing between her family and her crush. But one was here now, showing he cared. The other put her here. She spent the rest of the visitation hours explaining to him the details of the Byakugan and Gentle Fist.

"Neji-niisan is the best Hyuuga to come along in a long time. My clan considers him nearly perfect. He is too, and he knows it. Neji-niisan has become cold and arrogant." Naruto made out the words as slowly as she spat them out.

"Good." Naruto said with a smile. The girl looked at him quizzically. "Pride is the best weakness of all. It's like all the geniuses have it. I already have a plan, and it's not complicated at all."

* * *

A/N

If you have questions or spot any mistakes, feel free to voice it in the review. There have been a couple people disagreeing with my reasoning on some plot elements. That's fine. Be assured I have good reasoning for everything, even if you don't agree. That's cool. You're entitled to your opinion. And I actually enjoy explaining my vision of the Naruto world. That being said, I also enjoy being challenged. I thank you if you enjoy my story, but it would be more helpful if you include some interactive dialogue more substantial than just "good story".

update - Some people were confused about Ino and the rasengan. I changed some wording around so it'll be clearer.


	12. A Finals Fantasy

Faces, innumerable, dotted the seating underneath the pagoda-styled verandas of the stadium. From all walks of life, people came to see life and death, sport and spectacle. The rich finery of visiting poobahs, here to advantage their selves through intimate knowledge of a potential strong-arm, contrasted against the _shinobi_ in the crowd. Before the laws of men first comes the laws of nature, whereby the strong prosper. Here, they'd hope to avow who that would be.

* * *

The referee for this penultimate stage stood in the middle of the stadium. The man, like his predecessor, was in _jounin_ uniform with a few quirks. For one, his _hitai-ite_ was worn backwards, the metal plate covering the back of his head, and he rolled a _senbon_ around in his mouth the way one would with a toothpick. He looked up at the veranda where the Hokage and Kazekage were seated – the so-called 'Hokage's Box'.

The venerable Hokage stood in his box to address the crowd. "Welcome, one and all, to the _Chuunin Selection Exams_ hosted by Konohagakure. We thank you for coming and bid you enjoy the spectacle." The old man's voice projected well to the whole crowd.

The _jounin_ referee took over as conductor of the proceedings. "My name is Genma Shiranui and I'll be the referee for today's event. Matches are one on one 'til death, unconsciousness, or forfeit. We'll begin immediately. For the first match, **Ino Yamanaka** and **Temari of the Desert** please come down to the arena floor."

The two girls stood facing each other as they waited for the referee to signal the start of their combat. "Begin."

Ino immediately rushed at her. She knew the girl wielded the fan in close quarters and had wind _jutsu_ for long ranged combat. She decided to take a chance and see if it was preferable to come in close. She got up right against the Sand _kunoichi_ so that only the giant fan stood between them. At this range there wasn't enough arc for her opponent to swing at her. The two girls wrestled against each other, leveraging the folded up metal fan between them. The test of strength was ineffective. The other girl was slowly overpowering Ino, so Ino let go. _"Shit, that didn't work."_

Shaking loose the Leaf bimbo, Temari prepared to unleash the full fury of her wind release techniques. She saw her foe running to take cover behind a copse of trees along the outskirts of the stadium floor. Confident, but still cautious, Temari slowly advanced until she was at the optimal range for her wind _jutsu_.

Ino had several ideas about how to go about defeating the Sand _kunoichi. _The first, she hadn't placed much stock on, but still tried it just because it was quick and simple. _"Time for plan B: deception."_ Ino made a shadow clone from a prone position, flattened against the ground to hide her outline behind the trees. The copse of trees she'd chosen to hide behind was strategically picked because the dirt around it was loose and plentiful. Ino sent the clone out to test her older counterpart. The mighty gale of wind blasted her clone against the walls of the bowl. It had also thrown up a dense cloud of dirt. Ino made a leapt into the cloud, landing in a roll. The cloud landed a fine layer of grit over her, making it seem like she'd taken the blast herself. When the dust settled, Ino played the part of wounded prey. Hoping to appeal to her opponent's sense of pride, she crawled around on all fours as if hurt.

For Temari, she'd understood that the _chuunin exams_ were partly spectacle. The wise thing to do was to be cautious and mash her enemy against the wall a few more times. In these exams, however, playing a part would impress the gathered collection of influential people. Walking up close and clobbering the other girl with her fan would also conserve chakra. She had seen the girl's abilities in the preliminaries, and was prepared to dodge her mind control technique in an instant if it looked like she'd recover.

Ino let out the most convincing whimper she could manage. It seemed to be working. _"This Sand bitch thinks she's just gonna stroll in and humiliate me. She's so full of herself."_ Against even her wildest hopes, the Sand ninja didn't just try to pummel her enemy; she pulled Ino up by her hair. The sensation of her roots being damn near ripped off her skin was unpleasant, but useful. Ino grabbed the tail end of her own hair and threw a loop of it around the two like a lasso. Charging chakra through her strands, the hair toughened until it bound them together, face-to-face, with Ino's hands resting against the older _kunoichi's_ belly. Now there was no way to avoid or evade, "_Shintenshin"_.

The remainder of the match was a predictable surrender, and the applause was polite, but steady and lasting. The next set of contestants was brought out with little ceremony. "Let the next contestants step forth, **Naruto Uzumaki **and **Neji Hyuuga**.

Both boys looked assured and eager to begin. The crowd was set abuzz again, the last match having whetted their appetites. It was expected that the culmination would be the match between Sasuke Uchiha, who was yet absent, and the Kazekage's youngest son. Neji and Naruto would do their damndest to put that to the test.

"Begin."

Neji watched as the blond archer utilized his favorite tactic, like clockwork. Over a hundred shadow clones now littered the stadium floor. They charged him in concert. Neji engaged the shadow clones in _taijutsu_ by threes, fours, or more. Even with such overwhelming numbers, they were no match for the elite of the Hyuuga clan.

It costs Naruto little to send out waves of shadow clones to die. What it did do, was inflate Neji's ego to thrash the flimsy doppelgangers _en masse_. He tried his hardest to look dismayed as they were dispelled again and again. _"Time to remind him I'm here."_ Naruto fired off an arrow timed to land in conjunction with a clone assault. Neji whirled around in a ball of energy. The technique deflected the arrow and violently threw away shadow clones. _"Interesting… I can't let him pull this move at the wrong time."_

In Neji's estimation, Naruto had fought hard but unimaginatively. His only worry was that the younger boy might wear him down and drain his chakra with these relentless assaults. The solution was simply to go on the attack. The fool was being too obvious. Some distance away, stood a Naruto wielding a bow. _"That's the one."_ Neji ran at the archer, dispelling clones on the way. Puffs of smoke trailed in his wake.

_"Here he comes."_ Naruto mentally prepared himself. He had shown Neji exactly what he thought would happen. Now the boy was in thrall to the feeling of impending triumph. The last handful of clones clustered together, ready to receive the enemy. The Hyuuga was a vision of efficacy as he now pummeled shadow clones while on the move. Closer and closer he got. _"Now!"_

Neji was nearly upon the archer. To his left, he lashed out with a palm right into the center of the clone. It dispelled into nothingness. He turned to his right. The last clone before the real target made ready to receive him. He struck with his right palm. The clone turned slightly and took the blow on a shoulder. It didn't puff away. Instead, the left arms latched onto Neji. _"It's the real one!"_

The blow to his shoulder hurt, but it was hardly crippling. He would trade that for a solid grasp on Neji any day. While holding on with his left hand, Naruto formed a _rasengan_ in his right. With great anticipation, he slammed the orb right into Neji's midsection.

After Neji realized he'd been tricked, he had tried to perform his _kaiten_ defense – the spherical repelling shield of chakra he'd done earlier. The chakra construct in the blonde's hand rebuffed the chakra spilling out of his _tenketsu_. Slowly, it overpowered the chakra Neji was pouring out of his target region. The force of the attack was incredible and it felt like the Caged Bird Seal was being activated inside his stomach. The technique subsided, leaving Neji gasping for air and writhing on the ground.

Naruto held a _kunai_ to his throat. "Surrender."

Neji looked back at him contemptuously. "Do it, you'll only be freeing me. At least I'll be free of my shackles to the main branch family."

"I beat you by showing you what you wanted to see and proving that you were wrong in the end. What else could you be wrong about? What else could you be blind to?" Naruto shook his head. "I could almost pity you. You tried to kill the one person that might think to set you free. Hinata told me about the Caged Bird Seal."

"Even so, that doesn't mean you understand the pain of struggling against a situation you were born into." Neji sneered, even as he was in pain.

"I may not know what it means to be a slave, _per se_, but I've struggled against my nature. Things can change. A class clown can beat a genius. I failed the academy graduation exam three times, do you know why?" Neji didn't answer, leaving the question hanging in the air. "I couldn't perform the _bunshin no jutsu_. So open your eyes and maybe you'll see a way out of your cage."

"I forfeit." Neji finally relented.

* * *

Naruto rejoined the _chuunin _candidates to find Sasuke had arrived in the middle of Naruto's fight with Neji. "Hey bastard, glad to see you made it." Naruto greeted his teammate with a smile. He was treated coolly but his ever churlish teammate.

"Guess the Hyuuga wasn't all he was cracked up to be." Sasuke dismissed Naruto's achievement. Naruto could only shrug, he expected as much from Sasuke. Where Naruto failed to bring a smile to Sasuke's face, the referee succeeded.

"Match three: **Sasuke Uchiha** and **Shikamaru Nara** please come down." The referee announced for the benefit of all. More than eager, Sasuke hopped over the railing rather than exit through the tunnel system leading down to the stadium floor. His opponent did the opposite, trudging through the innards of the building at sluggish speeds.

"Begin."

Sasuke, predictably, was the aggressor. With Kakashi's training, Sasuke was even faster than he had been in the preliminaries. He was confident the lazy nobody he was facing would pose little challenge. In fact, he seemed to be right. Shikamaru did his best to avoid damage and hardly fought back at all. The Nara clansman did not even dodge in the strictest sense of the word. He seemed to linger back just out of Sasuke's range. To attempt to land a _coup de grace_, Sasuke performed a Fire Release: Great Fireball, which seemed to catch the shadow user off guard. Shikamaru threw himself to the side, but not before the heat of the fireball ignited his jacket. The shadow user quickly shed the jacket and left it to smolder.

For Shikamaru, his plan was working so far. The problem was that his plan was merely to survive long enough to detect a weakness. He knew about the Uchiha's _sharingan_. The Nara prodigy didn't know for sure if Sasuke had it, but all reason told him his foe probably did. He would have no chance if Sasuke activated it. Shikamaru's only useful technique was his _kagemane_ – or shadow imitation. If Sasuke could see the chakra in the shadow, then there was little chance of Shikamaru landing it. Fortunately, the other matches proved a definitive point. Contestants didn't want to give away too much, so they held back unless they were pushed. If Shikamaru could play the part of wounded prey, Sasuke might not think to try to use his eyes. So when Sasuke renewed his attack, Shikamaru kept avoiding, but was sure to take some marginal blows to keep Sasuke thinking this was going to be easy. For Shikamaru, the fight was anything but. _"What a drag. This is gonna hurt."_

For Sasuke, it was a validation of all the training he'd done. He was invincible among his peers. The feeling of looking down on someone as if they were ants to be crushed was a heady feeling of power. Sasuke was enthralled by it. The bruises were starting to pile on for Shikamaru. One solid kick punted Shikamaru into one of the copses of trees that dotted the edges. He waded into the section of turf, the vegetation sprouted from. Sasuke, feeling flush with victory, intended to show a lesser clan like the Nara was mere annoyance. _"I will make the Uchiha name feared and honored again."_

Shikamaru waited from behind the dual boles of closely joined trees. He silently performed his _kagemane_ technique, trapping Sasuke in his technique. "What to do now" was the question. _"How do I leverage this for a win? I can't make him talk, and I'm almost out of chakra."_ First things first, Shikamaru guided their actions onto open ground.

Sasuke was enraged at himself and Shikamaru. _"I should have seen this coming. What the hell was I thinking?"_ The flora-laden patch was crisscrossed by the shadows of blades of grass and tree limbs. He felt shame and frustration at being caught in such an obvious trap. He was even more piqued when his opponent forfeited. He was an Uchiha, he was supposed to claim victory, not have it delivered in his lap. _"Who does he think he is? I don't need mercy from a loser with no ambition."_

"You're probably mad. You think I beat you and granted mercy. Maybe that might be true in a sense, but I'm beat. If this is what's in store for me in later rounds, I don't even want to try." Shikamaru said to Sasuke before rejoining the contestants.

* * *

Up in the Hokage's box, an occupant was thinking hard himself. _"I'm so excited to have Sasuke-kun. That an intellect such as Shikaku's child could only salvage a partial victory from Sasuke is encouraging. Sasuke wasn't even using the _sharingan_ either."_ One known as Orochimaru pleasantly considered while in the guise of the Kazekage and sitting next to his old teacher.

The venerable Third Hokage instinctively felt something amiss, his old student, and most grievous mistake, notwithstanding. The dangerously aggrieved pupil was enraged back when Sarutobi had selected one of his rivals for the position of Fourth Hokage. He's been a monster ever since. And now, it seemed that he'd murder two _kage_ to revenge himself upon his home village. _"Make your move, my student, I am ready…"_

Orochimaru felt the sleep-inducing _genjutsu _fall over the stadium. This was the signal he'd been waiting for from his agent, letting him know everything was in place. He nodded to two of his servants beside him, also in the guise of Sand ninjas. They uncovered a smoke device, each. The plume billowing out from the Hokage's box was the second signal for full commencement of his plan.

* * *

In the stadium, the _genin_ still fighting felt the effects of the _genjutsu_ wash over them. Each dealt with it in their own way, or didn't depending on talent. The esoteric art put most of the stadium into a deep slumber - lesser ninjas and civilians mostly.

Sakura and Ino had the subtle qualities to defeat the threat. The two boy members of Team Eight studied under a _jounin sensei_ who specialized in the art, so were prepared. Three of the _genin_ had _doujutsu_ that made them virtually immune to the art – Sasuke, Neji, and Hinata. The other members of Team Gai were experienced enough to counter the effects once the strange numbing drowsiness began to creep up on them. They used small nicks with a blade to wake up their senses from the _genjutsu_. Chouji would have been in trouble, but the intervention of the other _genin_ helped him. Shikamaru performed the standard practice, but not well known among _genin_, '_kai'_ or 'release' technique… only to go back to sleep in a safer, more comfortable part of the stadium. _"Besides,"_ he reasoned, _"I don't have enough chakra left to fill a thimble."_

Naruto was one such that was vulnerable to the less common ninja art, and he knew it. He could feel himself grow drowsier, but hung on with his impressive constitution. "Hey bastard, how do you break _genjutus_?" Naruto asked his teammate.

"You idiot, don't you know anything? You gotta disrupt the _genjutus_'s hold on your chakra." Sasuke told him. His _sharingan_ could track the _genjutsu_'s progressive hold over the blonde.

Naruto thought hard for a while and a solution present itself. To improve his chakra control, he had been sectioning off the small leakages of Kyuubi's chakra. He had substantial buildup in his _hara_, so he released it. The effect was instantaneous. He felt the drowsiness of the _genjutsu_ go away. In fact, he felt quite invigorated.

Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for Konohagakure, that little maneuver caught the attention of Gaara. He looked at the two teammates with murderous intent, promising death later on. For now, his teacher – the Sand team _jounin sensei_ – beckoned him to the arena floor. "Gaara, go ahead and transform now. You may kill as many people as you'd like."

Gaara induced sleep upon himself, and the effects were frighteningly bizarre. His sand layered itself around him and provided a fleshy shell of a body. The body was massive and in the shape of a giant _tanuki_ – or raccoon dog. Its skin was a mottled sand and black color, especially prominent in the thick tail. It easily took up most of the space on the floor of the sizable stadium.

"Hey asshole!" Naruto yelled at the creature. "Don't you have some unfinished business with us? We were supposed to fight in the exams, remember?"

"Idiot, what are you doing? You're going to get us killed." Sasuke hissed at him.

"He was fixated on us just before transforming. We have to take the opportunity to lead him away from the village. Even if someone beats him, he'll mess up the village just by fighting in it. So do your duty and let's defend the village. Which way is the best way outside the walls?" Naruto chastised his teammate. Sasuke pointed in a direction. "Let's go."

The boys ran in the direction Sasuke indicated. Shukaku followed in violent fervor to the consternation of the Sand ninjas. "Dammit. Temari, Kankuro, follow them and lead your brother back here." Baki ordered. As Baki gave his orders, the invasion of Konohagakure by Hidden Sand and Hidden Sound began in earnest. Huge summoned creaturs breached the walls in a few places where hundreds of Sand and Sound ninjas poured into Konohagakure. Handfuls of stealthy elites made themselves known in key places.

Before the Sand team could follow their wayward brother, their path was blocked. In the wake of the confusion stemming from Gaara's transformation, the _jounin_ of Konoha found and gave their _genin_ loose orders. They didn't have time to babysit kids in the middle of an invasion, so they let them loose on their own initiative. The _genin_ were told to stay safe, but aid in the defense of the village if an advantageous situation occurred. The _genin_ were told that in such a crucial juncture, they'd be entrusted to oversee their own disposition.

A masked figure clothed in black stood next to Baki. His ANBU mask, which should have indicated he was a part of the Hokage's personal corps of ninja, instead meant he was a spy. Gai and Kakashi immediately challenged the pair to keep them from harming lesser able combatants. Meanwhile, Hinata and Shino intercepted the Sand _genin_. Shino judged that he was capable of dealing with the black-clad puppeteer. Hinata, after having seen her crush defeat her cousin with relative ease, was emboldened to try to prove herself. She squared off against Temari.

* * *

The backbone any ninja force, or ninja village, was the _chuunin_ position for which was being fought over that day. The _chuunin_ was the basic competent foot soldier. They were flexible, able to command or be commanded. Few people had the mind-bending talent to be _jounin_. Meanwhile,_ genin_ were either talented youngsters, who were too valuable to be put in needless danger, or fodder without talent. In any village, good chunks of the population were _genin_ reservist, such as Yuka Yamanaka. These were considered the fodder ninja. On the other hand, talented young _genin_ could pose significant danger to all but the most veteran _chuunin_.

Elsewhere…

Tenten and Lee stayed in the stadium and fought off enemy ninjas that tried to prey on the sleeping people there. In a beautifully coordinated tandem, they were able to pick off more experienced opponents one at a time. Through a relentless series of close-range and long-range attacks, they coursed and killed targets methodically. Eventually they met up with Sakura who was still in the stadium as well. She did what she could to supplement them and the trio went on with the

Kiba found himself conscripted as the tracker for a group of ANBU tasked with hunting down the elite enemy ninja that had infiltrated the village. They hoped his nose would tell them who smelled out of place. There chaos of the invasion made it difficult to find specialized trackers for every ANBU squad, so they made do with the rookie _genin_.

Chouji had no killer instinct or coldly calculating mind. His only concern was to link up with his team He, Ino, and Shikamaru were friends from birth. They had baby pictures together before they even had memories. On missions, it was always Ino and Shikamaru that had directed Chouji on how and where to apply his strength. He understood he would need to find them, since he didn't have the seasoning or the savvy on his own. Shikamaru was nowhere to be found, but he spotted Ino in her purple outfit, still surveying the situation from the _chuunin_ candidates' veranda.

* * *

Nearly a mile outside of Konoha's walls by now, Sasuke and Naruto turned around to finally face the monster. Naruto looked at Sasuke. "Well, here goes nothing." He unleashed a few probing shots at the figure of Gaara still exposed atop Shukaku's head. The sand demon easily deflected the arrows with a cascade of dense sand. Next to Naruto, Sasuke feinted with a fireball. The heat of the attack fused the sand on the surface of the beast into glass. The monster shook off the fused plates as more sand replaced the missing mass.

Shukaku responded with blasts of pressurized air. The two boys of Team Seven were quick to leap away from the blast with chakra-enhanced jumps. The globules of compressed air slightly distorted the still air as it moved. They exploded where they landed, showering the boys with debris.

"I need to get up there." Sasuke said, pointing to Gaara's avatar atop Shukaku.

Naruto looked at him sideways. "That's easier said than done." He looked around. Pointing to a tree, Naruto proposed a plan. "Get on the top branch of that tree there. It's about the same height as that thing's head. I'll lead it past you. Then you can do whatever it is you were plannin' on doing."

Sasuke got in position. Naruto surged as much wind nature as he could into his arrow, nocked it, and fired. The arrow landed with a mere dent. The arrowhead did not penetrate deep enough to hold its place in Shukaku's skin and fell off. _"Okay, that's just ridiculous."_ The monster did turn its attention to Naruto, however. That much was going right so far. Naruto ran for his life with the sand demon nipping at his heels, so to speak. As he passed by the tree, Naruto heard a high pitched, frenetic crackle of electricity. Looking up, he saw Sasuke run down the tree branch straight for Gaara. The Uchiha's hand was alight with a brilliant blue hue. _"Maybe Sasuke can pull this off."_ Naruto said with a smile. With alacrity that Naruto could barely accredit to such a cumbersome monster, the Shukaku pivoted on one front leg. Its body whipped around at high speed, smashing the Uchiha out of the air. Had there been anything on the other side of the Uchiha but open air, he would have been crushed. As it stood, Sasuke's limp form tumbled down to the ground, his fall broken by small tree branches in the dense woods he was thrown into.

"Fuck… my… life…"

* * *

Shino felt confident he could defeat the puppeteer. The only question was where and how to apply his _kikaichou_ – or destruction bugs. Nearly all ninja arts could be summarized as a specific application of chakra. Even someone like Lee, whose chakra system was too underdeveloped to be shaped outside his body, used chakra to some extent. _"Find the vector, disarm the adversary."_ The puppeteer buffeted Shino's advances with puffs of noxious fumes from his puppet. The gas attack disoriented or killed his bugs depending on dosage. The puppet seemed to respond to whatever the black-clad _genin_ plan of attack was. This indicated to Shino that it was not automated, but controlled. _"How?"_

His more developed scout breed smelled the thin strands of chakra and now reported it to him. He could cut the puppet's strings if he could get close enough. The puppeteer was wily and avoided any attempts by Shino to get close to him. _"If he will not let me come to him, then he should come to me."_ In a complex form of substitution, Shino melted away under the cover of his _kikaichou_. He left behind a _bunshin_ made of insects. The next puff of poisonous gas he let connect with his likeness. The likeness coughed and stumbled as if wounded. Orchestrated beautifully, the plan was unfolding as Shino planned. The puppet swept in for the kill, scattering the bug clone as it impaled Shino's image on one of its blades. The surviving _kikaichou_ clung to the puppet and ate at the chakra strings controlling it, beginning from the puppet's side.

Shino slapped an explosive note on the disabled machine and pursued its controller.

* * *

Nearby, Hinata chased after the Sand _kunoichi _through the streets of Konoha. As lackluster as Hinata appeared to be at times, her enemy was respectful enough to not fight a Hyuuga hand-to-hand. Hinata used her _byakugan_ to great effect, seeing Temari's wind attacks as they were created, and allowing Hinata to avoid them. The heiress stopped. She realized that pursuing the _kunoichi _was inviting defeat. The girl from Wind Country was more experienced and had greater utility in her _ninjutsu_. However, Hinata did not need to advance to win. Keeping the girl out of the fight was enough. Hinata realized this and turned back as if to help Shino dispatch Temari's teammate.

Temari cursed herself. _"Damn, she was only trying to get me away from Kankuro. I have to go help him."_ She thought to herself, not knowing the extent of their situation. She turned again and ran back into the fray at full mast.

Hinata saw her foil come back just as she knew the older girl had to. Hinata pressed herself against the corner of a building, waiting for the other _kunoichi._ She was rewarded when she saw the glint of a metal fan flash by. In that instant, Hinata leapt into action.

Temari had never thought she could be tricked twice in the span of a few hours. It was a serious blow to her pride. The Hyuuga jumped out from behind a corner and started raining open-handed blows in Hyuuga fashion. Temari saw the preliminaries and knew to stay well away from the strikes, not even attempting to block with her body. Instead, she used her fan to defend herself. However, the purely _taijutsu_-oriented girl turned aside her fan and thrusts straight into her core. No blood squirted out, indicating she'd missed her target, but the pain was still significant. Just then, her brother was tossed rudely into her. The Sand siblings landed in a heap, hurriedly getting up.

Before the Team Eight pair could deal with their targets further, a blast of wind buffeted them away. The Sand duo's _jounin sensei_ appeared to protect them. "Run you two. The invasion has failed. Retreat as best you can. I'll hold them off and follow you later." The beleaguered pair did as they were told and fled.

* * *

Chouji was only mildly afraid, if Ino read her friend right. Instead, he was more confused than anything else. "Ino, what's goin' on? What should we do?" Her chunky brother-figure asked.

"I'm going to use a new form of _shintenshin_ and see if I can be useful around here. You can guard my body." The Yamanaka girl told him. What target should she pick from? The stadium was steadily becoming clearer of enemies. However, there was still sporadic fighting as units from outside made their way here. Up on the roof of the Hokage's box, something was clearly brewing. ANBU were gathered nearby in force, and invading Sound shinobi followed suit. Four Sound ninja, some sort of captains or elites, edged closer to the Hokage while the rest of the groups were in standoff positions. Each watched their counterparts with emotionless gazes.

Ino made a decision. She performed her technique and guided her astral projection up towards the brewing ruckus. She chose one of the unsuspecting Sound captains, the biggest one. Ino knew she wouldn't have enough time to root through memories for techniques. She needed the biggest bastard up there. He was as round as Chouji, but even more giant in stature. The beastly man sported a Mohawk and smaller tufts of hair above the ears. He wore the uniform of his fellow captains – a grey tank-top and purple rope-like _obi _sash.

Ino wasted no time in her new body. The other three assumed positions around the Hokage and a strange-looking, prettily effeminate man. This foe had purple coloring the folds between his eyes and nose and greasy black hair. She considered her targets and chose the one that looked weakest in close combat, the female captain. She casually made her way over to the capped, flute-wielding _kunoichi_ as to not arouse too much suspicion. "Jirobo, what the hell are you doing? Get in position so we can put up the fuckin' barrier." Surprising the foul-mouthed combatant, Ino gripped her head with this Jirobo's beefy hands. She jerked the mammoth man's hands, breaking the _kunoichi_'s neck which instantly killed her.

This alerted the two others as to something being wrong. They turned on her. Ino knew that she would have to abandon the body to survive, but she needed to do as much as she could to assure the Hokage's safety. One of the Sound captains, a six-armed man with a bow, shot her. She used her faux body's beefy arm to shield herself. The arrow stung but didn't do much damage. A two-headed boy, the remaining Sound captain, underwent some sort of transformation. Black markings covered his body as he attacked Ino. The chimerical boy hit harder that she thought someone of his size could. Even for the massive body she was in, the blows penetrated right to the bone. She knew she was in a bad way if she didn't get out.

Meanwhile, the effeminate man ran, chased by the Hokage and his personal retinue. The rest of the ANBU engaged the Sound forces so as not to allow them pursuit. Ino took a beating for a few minutes longer, doing nothing but being evasive. Help finally arrived. Her own _sensei_ – Asuma Sarutobi, a large grizzled man himself – arrived with Team Eight's _jounin_. She was a raven haired beauty dressed in a red blouse and white wraps. Her red eyes were harder than the rest of her look would indicate, so Ino retreated from the fight assured it was in good hands.

Even back in her own body, she hurt like she never had before. The beating she took in Jirobo's body effectively transferred the same analogous injuries on her real body. In fact, bereft of the larger body's pain tolerance and overall constitution, she passed out.

* * *

Throughout the village, the attack swung in favor of the defenders. Hundreds of people, civilian and ninja alike, perished across Konoha in their isolated positions. However, strong pockets of resistance pushed outwards to retake the village proper. The clan estates were especially deadly. Hardly any invading ninja who ventured into that region survived. ANBU barracks, near the Hokage administrative capitol, took its toll on the invaders as well. The academy, employed with a sizable _chuunin_ staff, stood toe-to-toe with the invaders to keep their students safe. The number of elite _jounin_ present at the stadium also made it a bastion of resistance. Lastly, there was Jiraiya. With Orochimaru occupied, there was no one else in the Sound or Sand force that could equal him. He roamed around the village, dispatching summons and people with frightening ease.

The only hope for the invading force was occupied outside the village walls by a rookie _genin_.

Naruto had led the beast away from Sasuke's unconscious body so that he would not have to worry about his teammate's safety as the fight wore on. Naruto was a little less sanguine on the chances for his own survival. Nothing he threw at the monster seemed to work. Using wind chakra, he had tried to propel himself towards Gaara's sleeping form that made itself an appendage off of Shukaku. The beast was quick as ever, doing to Naruto what it had done to Sasuke. Naruto was able to shrug off the hammer blows, being more durable than the Uchiha, but was quickly wearing down as well.

Making several dozen clones, he divvied out his remaining equipment – _kunai_ and explosive notes. The clones attacked from all angles, tagging the creature in multiple places. Naruto propelled himself again towards Gaara. This time, he was under the cover of a cacophony of explosions. He was close! _"Just a little more…"_

Naruto was able to land on the creature's head, just barely out of reach of Gaara. Unfortunately, when he tried to take a step towards Gaara, he found he couldn't. His feet had sunk into the sandy body of the creature and it held fast. Naruto tried to ready a point-blank bow shot, but Shukaku was a step ahead. More sand rose up to bind Naruto's arms. The blonde felt the unbearable pressure of frustration build up inside of him. _"Fuck no, I didn't come this far to fail now. I can't let this thing get back to the village."_ Doing something he thought he'd never have to do again, Naruto reopened himself to the presence of Kyuubi. The pent up demonic energies of the _biju_ flushed his system, triggering the one-tailed state.

Now, Naruto could feel himself able to work against the sand. Instead of iron vises, the sand was more like mud. Naruto raked his hooked fingers at Gaara, gouging bloody furrows across his chin and cheeks. The attack came with a good amount of force connecting against Sand _jinchuuriki_'s jaw. More importantly, Gaara was released from his slumber and Shukaku's form began to crumble. Both boys fell to the ground, Gaara landing in a heap. Naruto was able to catch himself. He felt drained and battered, but still lucid.

The, for the first time ever, scared voice of the redheaded ninja gasped out. " How? Why is it you were able to defeat me when no one else has? What is the secret to your strength?" The boy said in disbelief at his defeat. Truthfully, he didn't know it was possible to hurt, but he did now.

"I carry a demon too." Naruto said simply. "But how I fight is not as important as why I fight. If you ever come to understand what I mean, then maybe I won't have to kill you. Maybe, when people acknowledge you, you will realize the allure." Naruto told his counterpart before stalking off to recover his teammate.

* * *

The invasion was over and the enemy in full retreat by the time Naruto and Sasuke limped back into the village. Upon seeing Shukaku's form recede in the horizon, the Sand ninja especially lost their nerve. The Konoha resistance was emboldened to an equal degree.

They checked themselves into an overflowing hospital and were triaged. Naruto was judged to be minimal, so he was able to leave after some minor cleaning, bandaging, and a nap. Sasuke was somewhere in between minimal and delayed, so he was given a priority and told to wait. The scene was horrific. The clean linoleum of the hospital was now streaked with blood as if bleeding stumps of limbs were dragged through these halls. Nurses, doctors, and medics darted about with alacrity. Past the boys, a gurney was wheeled through. Atop it laid a crying boy no more than seven. His hair was burned off from the top of his head down to his ear, now a mangled piece of flesh. _"Damn. For a moment, I thought we did a good job of defending the village…"_

_

* * *

_

A week later, Naruto stood in black mourning clothes. This was the funeral of the Third Hokage. He learned of the old man's demise from Kakashi after leaving the hospital. He had sacrificed himself for the good of the village, killing the mastermind behind the invasion – the rogue ninja Orochimaru. ANBU who witnessed the battle between Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi were tight-lipped about the affair.

On this day, the day the Sandaime was laid to rest, a slight downpour occurred. The gentle tap of the water soothed away the hot rage or suffocating sadness that the mourners felt, but deeper feelings could not be cleansed by simple rain. The village had suffered greatly. They lost only a handful of _jounin_ but a fifth of their _genin_, and just under a third of their _chuunin_. Sand and Sound came off worse, losing three-fourths of their best in the attack. That was of little comfort, especially to the average citizens of Konoha. They'd suffered in the hundreds, and although it was proportionally small, their sense of security was shattered again. Things had felt **safe** again after the Kyuubi attack thirteen years ago. Now, they were back to jumping at shadows. The procession went their separate ways in due time.

Some ANBU and Asuma-sensei lauded Ino as a hero for her role in Orochimaru's defeat. The funeral brought to mind her failure, however. _"The Hokage is dead. Could I have done more?"_ After the traumatic events of last week, people clung to the comfort of friends and family. If not, it was shown that combat or war induced stress would make one borderline unfit for society if there wasn't an avenue for catharsis. A single _chuunin_ level ninja had penetrated her clan's grounds while the bulk of their forces were clearing out the village. Her mom achieved the first kill of her life defending herself and was understandably upset. Her father went straight home with her after the funeral.

_"Are you coming with us, princess?" Her father asked. He supported her mother like a child, taking her hand and guiding her home. _

"_No, I want to walk around a bit, maybe go see Chouji or Shika." Ino responded. _

Most others had done what her parents had done. They retreated to their homes and reminded themselves of who they still had to live for. One person never left the ceremony site, however. "How are you doing, Naruto?" Ino asked.

He was slow to respond, unsure of what to say. Eventually, he began with his utmost thought. "When I went to the hospital, I saw a little boy who had half his head burnt off. I know we did all we could, but I can't help but feel like we should have done more… or share in the fate of those that gave it all."

Ino nodded, fully knowing what he meant. It felt almost guilty being alive when so many weren't. "I was there. At the stadium when the Hokage was fighting Orochimaru. I asked myself if I could have done something."

Naruto looked at her sternly. "There was nothing you could have done. That guy would have killed you." Naruto thought of Sakura's description of the man. She told Naruto he had been the one to easily defeat Sasuke and marked him in the forest. The giant snake summon of his that nearly ate Naruto needed no help in convincing him. He took Ino's hand. "If you ever go against someone like that, make sure you're ready or run away. I've been through two funerals for people I've known; I don't want you to be another."

Ino blinked at his intensity. "What about you?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it, or at least not out here in the rain." He gave a wan smile.

Ino nudged him. "Then let's find a place out of the rain."

"I live nearby. You want a cup of tea or something?" Naruto asked.

"Lead the way."

* * *

Ino held the cup of tea with two hands, warming them against the heat of the cup. She took an experimental sip before setting it aside. Naruto told her of his encounter against the Sand demon. He was scared the whole time… scared of failing, scared of letting the beast trample over his home.

"I made a fool of myself talking about becoming Hokage when I was younger. This was my chance to prove I could walk the walk. I was petrified that I'd blow it. I don't want my friends to ever lose faith in me. Iruka-sensei and the old man never let me down…" Naruto lamented. He cried knowing his limits but hating his powerlessness to prevent the deaths that hit closest to home.

Ino put her arms around him. "Shh," she cooed. "You did more than anyone could reasonably expect. I think they'd be proud of what you did." She grasped his head with both hands and wiped away his tears with her thumbs. Her lips met his, and she felt him shudder at the sudden contact. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. Surprising even herself, she began undressing him from his wet funeral attire.

"What are you…" She cut him off with another kiss and his resistance dropped off to nothing. Instead, she grabbed her from underneath her buttocks and lifted her, carrying her to his bedroom.

Later in the day, after initially awkward but pleasant lovemaking, the undeclared lovers laid together in a post coital haze. He pressed her close to himself, savoring their shared warmth underneath the covers.

"What are we, Ino?" He asked, cutting straight to the point.

"I don't know." She admitted. "Let's just say we both needed… something… something that only we were willing to give to each other at the time." She reasoned, nuzzling closer into him.

* * *

A/N

I got a lot of reviews questioning the under-aged *ahem*.

Ninjas are the police/soldiers of this world. That means thirteen year olds in positions of responsibility. They're also exceptionally trained people considering they're competently doing the job that in the real world shouldn't be done until full adulthood. Add that to the fact that they've been through some traumatic times. Also, keep in mind they're still teenagers with teenage impulses. This is my rendering of what happens when you combine all the above. You get people with one foot in the adult world and one foot in the kid world. Narutoverse doesn't work by the same rules as reality methinks.


	13. The Last Senju

**Act II: The Face of the Enemy**

A meeting of Konohagakure's leadership was always a cause for concern. Normally, the Hokage and his cabinet, nominally referred to as 'the council', governed the village. Without a Hokage, an impromptu assembly called the 'electorate' was formed to decide who the next Hokage would be. The deceased Hokage's teammates – the venerable Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane – chaired the event with another older man sporting a white _uwagi,_ white _hakama_, brown over-robe, dark hair and half bandaged head. The full _jounin_ of the village, such as Kakashi and Gai were present along with the _jounin_ commader – Shikaku Nara. Additionally, clan heads such as Hiashi, Chouza, and Inoichi participated.

"As you are all perfectly aware, we are here to discuss courses of action we should take to solidify leadership following the death of the Third Hokage." Koharu began. "Namely, we should select a new Hokage. Are there any nominations?"

To the assembled throng, each had been given a trio of small _gunbai_ – or war fans. They came in three colors. Red meant a 'nay' vote. Green represented an 'aye' vote. Lastly, black represented a desire to address the electorate. The chairpersons would select the order in which black fans would be allowed to address the crowd. Such measures ensured the proceedings occurred with minimal confusion.

A handful of black fans were raised. "The assembly recognizes Hohiro Hyuuga." Koharu named a _jounin_ from the main branch Hyuuga clan.

"Esteemed colleagues, I would like to nominate Hiashi Hyuuga. I can vouch for his leadership and ninja prowess from my own personal experience. He has given honorable direction to our clan for nearly two decades." The Hyuuga made his case for his clean head.

The chairs nodded in respectful consideration at his suggestion. "As custom demands, we would like to ask if anyone would like to voice opposition to this choice." A black fan went up. "The assembly recognizes Asuma Sarutobi."

Team Ten's bearded _sensei_ took the cigarette out of his mouth in anticipation of speaking. "Although I've no cause to argue against Hiashi's honor and leadership ability, I must question his suitability in other ways. Though well suited to leading a traditional clan, has he the flexibility to manage such a varied force as Konoha's ninja corps? Also, the position of Hokage is a demanding role. Who would lead his clan in his absence, as I believe his daughters are still too young to take up the mantle." Asuma made some very good points. The Hyuuga in the electorate looked down in thoughtful consideration.

"The assembly recognizes Uma, ANBU captain with _menkyo kaiden_." The chairs announced. _Uma_ meant horse, which was the codename of ANBU's current master captain.

The active ANBU present were still in uniform, including mask. They didn't bother to take them off, and just spoke through them. "Honored colleagues, there is always just the option of promoting our ranking _jounin_. It is a choice of perfect logic. The _jounin _commander has years of leadership experience, and has earned his position through merit."

A black fan came up from the very person nominated. Shikaku Nara, it seemed, would rather not be Hokage. "You know that the Hokage is also a symbol. He or she represents the strength of the village. We need someone with highly visible skills to represent us."

The murmurs amongst the crowd seemed to be hinting at consent. Another black fan went up in the meantime. "The assembly recognizes Kakashi Hatake."

"If what Shikaku says is true, then there is only one choice. It would have to be Jiraiya. His record is unparallel among all available _shinobi_. It would likely require half of this very assembly just to prevail against him if it came down to combat, which is the most highly visible function we have." Team Seven's instructor reasoned. There was no dissent.

"Jiraiya, will you accept this grave responsibility and be the Fifth Hokage?" Koharu asked his teammate's pupil.

"Only if a better choice doesn't accept. I will be leaving the village to attempt to bring her back. I will only take up the mantle if I fail to bring her back." Jiraiya told the assembly. As much as he hated it, he knew that there really was no one better suited to lead than he. He would be Hokage for love of his home village, but would much rather be writing, travelling, spying, and fornicating in places distant.

"Do you mean to try to persuade your old teammate, Tsunade? I was under the impression she had severed all ties with the village." Koharu asked for the council.

"Yeah, but I think I know of a way to change her mind…"

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Naruto did have more in his kitchen than milk and ramen… at least since Iruka's death and Naruto's resultant headlong plunge into maturity. In this instant, it was a good thing. Ino had stayed in his bed as they spoke in hushed tones of this and that. It was late in the afternoon and he had offered to make dinner for her before she left. She had agreed on the condition that she help cook. Naruto's self-sufficiency was not yet widely believed… believe it.

That being said, Naruto found it pleasant just to not be alone for a day. Having someone there to simply listen to your words and grace you with a smile was new and enthralling to him. At least it was pleasant until he heard a knock coming from his balcony. His apartment had a small balcony connected by sliding glass door to his living room. The kitchenette where he and Ino were just sitting down to enjoy the fruits of their labor was connected to the living room with no obstructions, so he could see all out to that balcony. As he looked, a figure stepped out from behind the blinds covering half of the sliding screen door.

Ino turned to see what Naruto was looking at and started as he did to see his _jounin_ _sensei_ knocking on the glass. She was garbed only in her underwear and one of Naruto's spare t-shirts, as her mourning clothes had not yet dried from the rain. She tugged down on the hem of the t-shirt in an uncomfortable attempt to hide bare legs. Luckily, Kakashi's view was now eclipsed by Naruto's form as he opened the door to talk to his teacher.

"Kakashi-sensei, what brings you here?" Naruto asked as greeting.

The one-eyed _jounin_ spoke in his usual lazy drawl. "Jiraiya asked me to come get you. Apparently, he wants you to come along on some sort of mission. He said to meet him at the gates tomorrow morning." Kakashi explained.

"Do you know what this is about?" Naruto asked. A mission alone with Jiraiya must be pretty high profile. As much as his ego would enjoy it, there had to be some sort of catch. Hopefully, mission details might also distract him from the fact that there was a partially undressed girl at his apartment. Kakashi might not be the prankster he was in his academy days, but he had a poignantly mocking brand of humor. Naruto knew he wouldn't want to be the butt of his _sensei_'s jokes.

"Yes, but I'm sure Jiraiya would much better explain the situation to you himself." Kakashi gave his patented smiling eye. "Nice catch, by the way. Jiraiya would definitely approve." Kakashi left upon uttering his last teasing remark, leaving Naruto sputtering on his balcony.

_"Dammit, he didn't forget… I hope he doesn't say anything to Ino's father."_

_

* * *

_

_It was the easiest mission of their lives. The three children were already weakened from their harrowing experience. They were merely trying to limp back to Hidden Sand. A high powered __Water Dragon Projectile_ _smashed the Ichibi's black-hooded escort into ground meat. His lifeless body dropped in a boneless manner, a sign of his bones being completely shattered by the weight of the water. Blood and urine began mixing in a puddle underneath the dead ninja._

_ Looking over, the attacker saw his partner hook his massive scythe-like blade over the flaxen-haired girl's fan. With a yank he disarmed her and cut a gash down her arm. Now having her blood, it was over for her. Turning towards the final true target, the attacker heard progressively more terrified whimpers in the direction that his partner was toying with the young beauty. He loved to hear their fear; their hopelessness._

_ The redhead controlled his sand and commanded it to swallow him. That just wouldn't do. Bringing out a weapon of his, the attacker spat lances of white-hot lightning at the boy, cutting through his sand. The young boy screamed in pain as his arms, shoulders, and feet were stabbed through by the forked spears of electric agony. Elastic, but strong, strands of black sap held up the tortured boy. Still, he would be trouble to deal with if he unleashed his demon. So the attacker applied a seal to prevent such an occurrence as the cruel pair whisked away the boy._

Baki had gathered up the few survivors he could find and led a retreat back to Wind Country. Along the way, he encountered a sight that struck at his very heart. A black shape lay strewn upon damp grass. The smell of decay emanating from the macerated body was strong. Baki recognized the body without looking. Only one person wore the black hood of a _bunraku_. The corpse was bent in unnatural ways along the arms, legs, and core. Just to be sure, Baki turned the body over with a foot. Sure enough, a mess of brown hair peaked out from under the hood, accentuating a hauntingly pale, bloated face.

Nearby, he was equally saddened to find the body of Temari. Rather, he found the pieces of his _kunoichi_. Small clouds of flies hovered over a leg, an arm, a breast; she was made to suffer it seemed. The sadist was fastidious in his butchery; all were cleanly cut from what the bone could tell. Baki shook his head. It was complete dismemberment. He didn't know who did this, but they would pay. He didn't know what had become of Gaara, but he didn't hold to hope. The immediate concern was getting back to Sand. _"They were too young…"_

_

* * *

_

Naruto arrived at the gate fully provisioned for a long mission. Weapons, food, and tools were all well in hand. The old _gama sennin_ was parked right up at the gate, greeting _kunoichi_ as they left or returned from missions. The woman ninjas politely humored the veteran ninja as his station demanded, but quickly found excuse to be somewhere else. The gate guards had not the gall to try to chastise the powerful lecher for his actions. Instead, they chose to hide smiles of amusement at his antics. "Hey Lord Pervert, I'm ready to go. What's this mission about anyways?"

The enormous man beckoned him onward. "Come on. I'll explain the mission to you as we walk." Naruto hustled to follow the old man as he set off. "To make a long story short, we're going to find my old teammate in order to bring her back to the village." The boy looked confused.

"Why are going to do that? Is she a rogue ninja or something?" Naruto asked, anticipation beginning to dawn on his face.

"It's nothing like that. We're trying to persuade her to take up the mantle of Fifth Hokage." Jiraiya told the boy.

Naruto grinned hard enough to split his face in two. "Why should we do that? Can't you guys just wait a couple years until I'm ready for the hat?" The blonde jested, yet managed to look hopeful all at once.

"You're a squirt. Why don't you just aim for being the Sixth Hokage. There's no way in hell you'd be ready for the job in anything under five years. Now you gonna' shut up and let me tell you about her, or what?" Jiraiya chastised his pupil.

"Okay, shoot."

Jiraiya went over her basic information. He told Naruto about her skills as a medic ninja, her monstrous strength, her hot temper, her history with Team Sarutobi, Dan, Nawaki, political views, her apprentice, and her gambling habit. The boy was more attentive than Jiraiya thought he would be. In fact, the boy was actively digesting the information, and if the look in his eyes was any indication, he was actively formulating plans based on the information he heard. It was the mark of a ninja who took his job seriously. Which it seemed the boy did… in between his bouts of smart-mouthing.

"It sounds to me like we have to get her back on the horse." Naruto said. Jiraiya looked at him quizzically. "I mean she left because she had nothing to fight for anymore. What we need, is some sort of incentive for her in the village. You know if there's anyone she's still close to that she might be persuaded to come back for him or her?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya looked at his student with a hooded gaze. It was the type of look that held secrets. _"She was close to Kushina. Could he know?"_ Jiraiya shook his head. "No, there's no one for her in Konoha. It pains me to say it; I used to have a thing for her back in the day. She doesn't even like me though, so I'm not gonna' be the incentive for her to come back."

"Hrmm," Naruto considered, "I guess we go with guilt… although it might be dangerous with her temper. We could try to guilt her. Y'know, say things like 'I bet Dan would be disappointed in you'; that sort of thing."

"Maybe, but like you said, she might take it personally. That wouldn't be pretty." Jiraiya cautioned.

"A ninja's life is all about danger. If that's what it takes to get the mission done…" Jiraiya had been constantly taken aback by Naruto's attitude the whole trip. He was being very solemn in his duties. Jiraiya had noticed his natural empathy, and was betting on it. The directed nature it now took was surprising.

The pair walked silently for hours. "Alright, I'm starting to get bored." Naruto complained. Serious as he was, his tolerance for long stretches of monotony was still quite finite.

Jiraiya looked up from his sketchpad. A smile crept onto his face. "Okay then, let's talk; shoot the breeze. Let's begin with some interesting I heard from Kakashi."

Naruto paled. He remembered his promise, but giving material to the Toad Sage was still a horrifyingly embarrassing prospect. "What do you mean?" Naruto said all too sharply.

"Oh nothing…" Naruto looked relieved, "except that the Yamanaka girl was half-naked in your apartment when he came to get you." Jiraiya could see the beads of sweat forming on Naruto's face.

"Well, we were both kinda down after the Third Hokage's funeral, and it was raining. So I asked her to come to my apartment and dry off. One thing led to another and…" Naruto finished accounting the afternoon in excruciating detail. Jiraiya's face progressively grew more intense as the story of his 'exploits' went on.

"You mean you actually slept with her?" Jiraiya was incredulous. He thought of the kids as innocents and hadn't even considered that they were still, at heart, a couple of thirteen year olds. Putting aside his surprise, he scribbled in his notebook furiously. Indeed, Jiraiya was about half a pencil away from needed a _suiton_ – or water release – _jutsu_ to smother the conflagration his notebook would have become.

_"Oh man, I can't believe the perv actually tricked me into telling the whole story."_ Naruto thought the old man knew and just wanted details. He could have dodged the question. Instead, he dug himself deeper.

* * *

Being a _genin_, low on the totem pole as it was, was still an occupation in every sense of the word. The office was whatever training ground the _jounin_ appropriated as his office. On this morning, Sakura showed up on time like any other day… on time if you counted the fact that Kakashi seemed to work in a time zone three hours to the west. Instead of her _jounin_ instructor, Sakura Haruno found a note pinned to a wooden post with a _kunai_.

_Sakura,_

_All team activities are suspended until Naruto and Sasuke are both available for duty again. I'll let you know when that is. In the meantime, enjoy your time off. – Kakashi Hatake_

Her mother and father both had day jobs, so there would be no point in going home. Sakura had experienced enough days of rest since her defeat in the _chuunin_ exams. She wanted to do something. Training would have been the diligent thing to do, she admitted to herself, but it wasn't the most useful way to spend her time. She could train herself physically for the few hours it would take to pass out from exhaustion if she pushed herself. It would never be enough to surpass the boys on her team, however. She didn't have that type of prodigious bodily talent. She would have to find ways to leverage her more subtle qualities. Her civilian parents would be of little use, so she went to go find the person she was closest with.

Team Ten spent their days doing what Asuma called 'free training'. What it amounted to was a quasi holiday. They were given no specific instructions except to stay within sight of one another. Otherwise, they were free to practice their ninja arts in whatever way pleased them. Shikamaru favored cloud gazing and sleep, which Asuma allowed him to label his hobbies as intellectual exercises. Chouji would eat, telling Asuma he was building up his chakra stores. It was true in a strictly factual manner; Akimichi could turn their fat stores into chakra. Ino would be frustrated by the total lack of drive and practice whatever ninja art tickled her fancy. Ino was building towards her fit of rage when Sakura came along.

"What's up Miss Forehead?" Ino greeted her friend teasingly.

Sakura made a face at her comment, but brushed it aside easily enough. "My team's either in the hospital or not in town. I was wondering if I could hang with you and your team in the meantime." Sakura asked, looking at Asuma. The grizzled man shrugged, seemingly okay with the idea.

"That's great! These two hardly ever want to do anything." Ino explained, stretching out the 'anything'. Ino looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hey forehead, wanna spar?"

Sakura nodded exuberantly. "Hell yes. It would be nice to face someone around my level. The boys are such maniacs when it comes to proving their manhood in a fight."

Ino hid a slight blush well when Sakura mentioned 'manhood'. "What do you mean? Last I remember, I beat you pretty easily in the exams, Sakura-chan." Ino said with false sweetness.

Sakura fought the impulse to grind her molars together. "That was borderline cheating, Ino-pig. I already said Naruto and Sasuke were strong. It's no fair you used one of them to win. This time, I'm ready for your tricks." The pink one railed.

"Not by half, forehead. Let me show you." Ino got into a fighting stance. Sakura followed suit.

Sakura ran at her rival, brandishing her fists like they were clubs. The inner hellcat she found in herself was still going strong. Instead of meeting her, however, Ino made a handsign that should have given Sakura pause. A second Ino appeared next to the real one. In the back of Sakura's mind she comprehended the danger, but it didn't quite register consciously. She traded blows with what she believed to be the real one and was rewarded with the dull, meaty slap of a punch-block. The clone got in behind her and grabbed her arms, shocking her.

_"What the hell? Since when does piggy know how to use shadow clones?"_ Sakura thought for a split second before the wind was knocked from her. The clone still held her arms tight behind her back while the other Ino, which at this point Sakura couldn't tell which was real, rained blows into her ribs. The other Ino let go as Sakura fell to the ground gasping for air.

"Still think you got me figured out, forehead?" Ino taunted but held out a hand to help her rival up.

"When did you learn that?" Sakura managed to ask between alternating gasps and coughs.

"Naruto taught me to do it before…" Ino's voice trailed off as she remembered the days. A blush came to her cheeks as she recalled what happened and how Jiraiya chanced upon them. This time, Sakura did notice her rival's faraway look and colored skin.

"Are you putting moves on Naruto of all people?" Sakura asked in good humor, disbelief, and a little disgust. Ino saw this.

"Don't look at me like that, miss high-and-mighty forehead. Naruto's not the same guy from the academy. He's grown up a lot." Ino defended.

"So you're not denying it? I want details." The inner 'girl' that still resided in the _kunoichi_, and which would probably never really go away, demanded.

"Um, let's go for a coffee or something. Then I'll tell you about it." Sakura nodded, showing acquiescence to the suggestion. "Asuma-sensei, can I have the day off to catch up with Sakura?" Ino asked her _sensei_. She was rewarded with a smile and a shooing motion, indicating it was alright.

Coffee was a new fad that had sprung up in the Elemental Countries. A tropical, coastal province in the southeastern part of Fire Country grew most of the beans. It was becoming a valued cash crop, selling well in all parts of the world. In Konoha, it was fashionable to drink it in place of tea among younger people. At this shop, ground beans were brewed and the resulting liquid was mixed with sweetened, condensed milk and served with a dash of flavorings or spices. In this case, Ino had vanilla extract while Sakura chose orange zest.

At first, Ino wasn't quite sure why she was sharing intimate details with someone she had fallen out of favor with long ago. Maybe it was the fact that he was her teammate, hence possibly affecting his performance in battle. It could also be the courtesy of letting the pink-haired one know that her devoted follow might not be so devoted anymore. If she were honest with herself, Ino would actually admit that she simply missed her friend and that this was an offering of trust.

"Okay, so he taught me the _kage bunshin_. That was the easy part. It was so draining, though, so I passed out right afterwards. He was hovering over me, worried. It was really cute, and I might have been slightly delusional at the time, so I kissed him…" Ino explained the day in detail. Sakura was unconvinced.

"Alright, but you thought of him as a dork more than anyone else. What changed?" Sakura asked with a skeptical glare.

"Would you believe almost getting shot, twice in fact, was the start?" Ino re-accounted the times Naruto had his archery mishaps while Sakura wavered between worry and amusement.

"We all have to thank you for getting him off his bright jumpsuit kick then." Sakura said, accompanied by giggles.

Ino guffawed along for a while, drawing some stares from the other coffeehouse patrons. "That's nothing though. After he trained me to use the shadow clone and the kiss happened, things got… intense."

Sakura fought off the horror that was creeping up on her face. "You mean you…"

"It didn't get that far. This old lecher was spying on us, so Naruto attacked him. Get this though, the old lecher was Jiraiya of the _densetsu no sannin._ The same ones we had to learn about in school, y'know?" Ino told her increasingly surreal story. "So he said he would train us for certain… favors."

Sakura, at this point, was growing frustrated from the half-veiled answers. "You mean he asked you to…"

"No! He wanted to watch me and Naruto." At this point, Ino stopped, realizing it only sounded marginally less embarrassing.

Seeing her rival's discomfort, Sakura banished her empathetic embarrassment and took the opportunity to tease Ino. "So that's how it is huh? Was he as good as we'd imagined Sasuke to be, Ino-chan? And is Kakashi-sensei going to be reading about you two in his books anytime soon?" Ino retreated into her coffee cup and mumbled something. "What was that Ino-pig?"

"Better than we could imagine." Her embarrassment complete, Ino pooled her arms on the table and planted her face down into the crook of her arms.

"Wait, I didn't actually think… when was this?" Sakura nearly screamed indignantly.

"Day of the Third Hokage's funeral." Ino replied matter-of-factly. Sakura bothered her for more details and she divulged the gist of the emotional go-betweens that went on. Ino was glad they had a booth in the back of the coffeehouse when she began to go into detail. She gave Sakura what she wanted, experience that wasn't her own. The blonde told her girlfriend about the initial awkwardness and pain giving way to an incredibly sweet and sensual experience. The pink one ate it up like a girl their age would. Indeed, Sakura would be hard pressed to look at her teammate the same way again.

Shocked for a while, Sakura eventually regained her tongue. "So does this mean you're withdrawing your claim on Sasuke-kun?"

"Sure forehead, help yourself." Indeed, Ino now had not a clue what drew her to the Uchiha heir in the first place.

"Great! That means we can be best friends again." Sakura offered.

The Yamanaka smiled. "I guess it does. Missed ya forehead."

* * *

The night was alive in the city. Paper lanterns splayed every hue and level of luminescence across the boulevards. Sounds of coins clinking and changing hands, promises of companionship, and the gentle pour of strong drink betrayed the nature of the place. Jiraiya had narrowed down the whereabouts of Tsunade to this city. Asking around for her wasn't hard. Even though Jiraiya bad brought a picture of her, all one had to do was mention a diamond shaped tattoo on her forehead and a generous bust. A few remembered her enough to point them towards a gambling establishment, which then led to a restaurant and bar across the street.

The restaurant and bar was plainly generic, but clean and well-lit. It was easy to find Tsunade sitting at a booth on the far wall. Jiraiya motioned for Naruto to follow as he sat down in the same booth opposite Tsunade. "Hello, Tsunade." The toad sage greeted her neutrally, gauging her reaction.

"Fancy this; what are the chances we'd meet on the road in the same city and establishment? You can cut the bullshit. Go ahead and tell me why you're here." Tsunade said. Naruto had seen the photo of her, but pictures couldn't do her justice. Naruto knew her to be in her fifties. This young lady seemed to only be his _sensei_'s age. Her grey crossover blouse's low neckline and eye-catching cleavage made her out to look more like a fertility goddess than one of the deadliest ninja in the world. The green jacket she wore over the whole ensemble did nothing to change the impression.

_"That's probably why she wears what she wears and walks around in a transformation. I know a few people that would be caught off guard."_ Naruto thought to himself with Jiraiya coming to mind as 'that type of person'. Tsunade also came with a couple of companions. Shizune, according to Jiraiya's information, was a _jounin_ level apprentice of Tsunade's. A cursory glance revealed short, dark hair and a plain, dark _kimono_. The getup was looser around the legs and arms than what is normally considered 'fitting' in such a garment, indicating she had weapons secreted on her. With her, she held a pet pig.

Jiraiya looked grim as he told her the news. "Orochimaru and _sensei_ killed each other when Oro led an invasion of Konoha. The electorate has decided you should succeed him. If you don't take the job I'll have to. And my first act would be to declare a new uniform for all _kunoichi_ – nothing. So you should probably take the job, if for no other reason than to save the dignity of _kunoichi_ everywhere." Jiraiya finished with a flourish and waggled his eyebrows.

"Tell me, Jiraiya, why would I want that?" Tsunade asked pointedly. "It's a death sentence. Even your prized genius didn't last long." The last bit was scathingly harsh to the toad sage. He looked down in sadness at the memory of his student.

Jiraiya glanced at Naruto for a second. "Time once was that would have backed me off. Not anymore."

"Why wouldn't you want to be Hokage? It's a huge honor, pays well, and comes with lots of perks." Naruto interjected in cheeky fashion. "Mostly, the people there need a leader. That should be reason enough." Naruto finished seriously.

Tsunade was getting heated. "Kid, if you had any idea what I lost in service to Konoha, you wouldn't feel the same." She said through clenched teeth.

"Yes. I. Do."

"How could a kid like you know the meaning of sacrifice?" The _kunoichi_ of the _sannin_ sneered.

"As a ninja, how could any of us **not** know it? Considering who I am, I'm pretty certain my parents were ninjas. They died before I ever knew them. My teacher, the closest thing I ever had to a father, died to protect me not even a year ago. I thought we were taught to live with such things." Naruto said sadly.

"Alright, it must have been painful to lose your past, but I lost my future."

Naruto shook his head fervently. "No, you lost your future when you gave up hope and ran away. Hell is the impossibility of hope. You put yourself in hell when you decided that you didn't want to take the risk of having new hopes and dreams." Jiraiya knew about the boy's instinctual understanding of people, but he was seeing through her more easily than he could have predicted. "You gamble your money away because you're not afraid of losing something that means nothin' to you anyways. Each time you lose, you feel better about yourself because you think 'at least I didn't lose a loved one'. Why don't you come back with us and take a real chance. Maybe, the hope of not being disappointed might be to your liking."

Tsunade was silent for a while. "But what if I lose it all again? You're asking me to put my faith in something that's not going to work anyways." She said weakly.

"You don't know that. If you find your heart, you can make it work. If not, bet on me. I made a promise that I would protect the village, never falter, and never fail. Because becoming the Hokage is my hope, my dream. I made a promise, and I'm gonna keep it."

A ghost of a smile graced Tsunade's lips. "I'll come back with you and give you a chance to put your money where your mouth is. If you can, I'll be the Fifth Hokage."

"What do I have to do?" The young _genin_ asked.

"Just prove you're worth betting on." Tsunade said past bated breath.

* * *

The foursome bedded down for the night at a nearby hotel. Jiraiya and Naruto took the room across the hall from their _kunoichi_ counterparts. Before actually going to sleep, Jiraiya and Tsunade had decided to go on an all night bender for old time's sake. Naruto felt like turning in early. All the vices in the city didn't interest him. He didn't make enough money to gamble. Whoring didn't have any appeal as there were enough pretty girls at home to fuel his dreams. Lastly, alcohol was not a taste he had acquired as of yet. Shizune, a moderate sort of individual herself, did not partake either.

Before Naruto could drift off into sleep, he heard noises coming from the hall. Muffled 'oink' noises could be heard from the hallway. "Okay Tonton, let me get my shoes. Then I'll take you out for relief, hang on a second." Apparently the pig had to be walked.

* * *

Late at night, a rather distraught and slightly inebriated Tsunade found a note left in their room. It seems someone had kidnapped Shizune and the pig in order to get to her. The note mentioned several key facts. The perpetrator demanded a fight with Tsunade. A dangerous proposition in itself, who would try to court the anger of an enraged Tsunade? It also mentioned that she would be killed immediately if the kidnapper caught wind of Jiraiya's assistance. Whoever wanted Tsunade was afraid of the toad sage enough to use the hostage against him. The last critical claim was that time was of the essence. The kidnapper did not want excessive scheming; he wanted to keep things simple – just a fight. If too much time had elapsed, the note promised torture, rape, and other such barbaric acts.

* * *

In the morning, rested and fed, Tsunade set out to save her apprentice. Jiraiya had a bad feeling about the whole situation. He wanted to come along, but the conditions of the note were nothing to sneeze at. Seeing Tsunade again after all these years only served to remind him of his unrequited love.

Naruto sensed his master's disquiet. "You think she'll be alright?" The boy asked.

Jiraiya forced himself to sound confident. "Of course, she's not one of the _densetsu no sannin_ just because of her looks."

Naruto wasn't buying it. "Let's cut the crap perv-sama. You can I both know that this kidnapper was good enough to take out Shizune, so he can't be an idiot. He has to have some sort of countermeasure just to go against Baa-chan."

"Baa-chan?" Naruto glared as if to say "_get to the point_". Jiraiya got the message. "Okay, I'm worried for her. I wish there was something I could do. But the note specifically forbids that I come along. Me, Jiraiya…"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Naruto asked.

"You go with her?" Jiraiya guessed.

"Yep. I might not be an S-class ninja, but this guy won't be expecting me. At the very least, if everything goes to hell, I can report back to you." Naruto finished with a smirk.

"Get to it, boy."

* * *

Tsunade was too far ahead for Naruto to track her, so he knew he would have to head her off and go straight for her destination. Luckily, Naruto had read the kidnapper's note as well. He had taken Shizune to an abandoned, burned-out village on the border with Rain. He hoped he wasn't too late.

* * *

Just outside the abandoned town, Tsunade met her tormentor face-to-face. Off a ways away, Shizune was tied to a large tree. Her arms were bent backwards to wrap themselves around the tree. The impassionate medical professional in Tsunade cataloged Shizune's injuries. _"Her shoulders must be dislocated to wrap around the tree."_ Her apprentice's hands were also nailed into the tree, luckily, not much bleeding occurred. Her clothes were shredded and torn at the legs and arms, meaning he had confiscated any hidden weapons. This was a true professional.

"Okay, I'm here." Tsunade called out.

The man wore the vertical dash-marked _hitai-ite_ of a Rain ninja, but with a slash through it, indicating he was rogue. "Thank you for coming Tsunade-hime. Let me introduce myself. My name is Kiremitsu Kouga, formerly of Hidden Rain. I am certain you are wondering why I would take the trouble of kidnapping your assistant just to challenge you to open combat."

"Go ahead and tell your story while you're still breathing."

The man gave a sardonic smile. "Good to know you have faith in my abilities. Anyways, I was one of Hanzo the Salamander's chief lieutenants. We've met before, by the way. Since his fall, I've been scratching a living as a rogue ninja. Not my idea of glamour. I've tried to find… gainful employment, shall we say. The new ruler of Amegakure is vengeful individual, and minor villages won't court his anger by sheltering me. With your head accredited to me, I'm hoping my attempts at joining a major village will change. I hear Hidden Sand is in need of experienced _shinobi_ and one of their elders has a particular grudge against you. So why don't you humor me."

Tsunade looked at him as a person would look at an ant just before squashing it underfoot. The man was pretty nondescript. He had an average stubble-filled face with brown eyes and clean-cropped brown hair. Except for the two _tsurugi_ strapped to his waist, he could have been mistaken for a common laborer anywhere. He wore a pale-blue, threadbare _hanten_ over equally dismal pants cinched at the waist by simple rope.

Testing her first, he drew his swords and closed in. Her movements were supple like a predator's. She slipped close and split his guard. A slight tap to the flat of his blades spread them wide and almost made him lose grasp of his weapons. A short jab into his, now undefended, core sent him sprawling back in an end-over-end tumble. Clearly, he was not quite yet up to her caliber. Luckily for him, he had done his homework. Getting up, he called to her. "Y'know, Hanzo had a special job for me. I was in charge of keeping tabs on people he felt were a threat. I was in charge of his personal bingo book, you could say." Going through a few hand seals, he made a couple elemental clones of some sort.

Tsunade was unimpressed. This man had the gall to kidnap her precious link to her long dead lover, and now taunted her with cryptic words. She saw the two clones charge her foolishly. With a simple hook, she brained both the clones with a single fist. Instead of water, smoke, or whatever sort of clone she had encountered before, it burst into a sickly reddish black color – blood. The remnants of the clones covered her; the oozing fluid was quickly drying and crusting on her skin and underneath manicured nails. Flashbacks of the days when she had lost her brother and lover came to her mind unbidden.

Kiremitsu was a man who did his homework. His information gathering was thorough. He'd unearthed this little gem of a fact about Tsunade Senju through some rather audacious dealings with Orochimaru. The man scared him to the core, but he did the job and was awarded with detailed information about the snake's former teammate. Now, her head would ensure his rise. He was seriously entertaining the thought of having a bidding war between Rock and Sand for his loyal service. Even this new 'god' of Hidden Rain wouldn't dare march against a major village just for the sake of wiping out Hanzo's last holdout. Casually, he walked up behind the frozen third of the _sannin_ and readied his blade.

To his side, a newly awaken and distressed _kunoichi_ struggled against her restraints. "Calm down, Shizune dear. I'll let you down after I've collected your master's head. If you struggle too much, your wounds are just going to get worse. I have no quarrel with you and would hate to watch you bleed to death."

Just then an arrow sped from nowhere, homing in on him. With uncanny instincts borne of years of experience, he flicked his blade, batting aside the projectile. "Where are you? Show yourself." Kiremitsu yelled out.

Naruto appeared and threatened the rogue ninja comically, at least to the man who had defeated a third of the _sannin_. "Let them go and maybe I'll let you live.

Something clicked in the back of Kiremitsu's mind. While under Orochimaru's employ, he did some noninvasive information gathering on Sasuke Uchiha up until the _chuunin_ exams. This boy was a teammate of the Uchiha scion. For a _genin_ he was somewhat impressive. Kiremitsu was confident, but cautioned himself against underestimating the youth. "I don't scare that easily, boy. You seem like a strong lad. Why don't you come here and test yourself against Kiremitsu 'the everyman'."

For Naruto, every second of time he could buy increased the chance that either Shizune could find a way free or Tsunade would snap out of her 'funk'. He had seen the fight against Tsunade from a distance. This guy was well-prepared. Naruto hoped he didn't know much about his own skills. "Okay, let's dance." The surly side to Naruto came forth to engage the man's attention more thoroughly.

Naruto made a host of shadow clones and fought the man with his wind manipulation. The man was only mediocre in speed and strength for a _jounin_ but was exquisitely skilled with his blades. Still, the wind being manipulated around Naruto made him nearly immune to the cutting power of the man's blades. Naruto's enemy skewered many clones, but was being beaten up for it.

"Very good, lad, but I'm not even close to being out of options." The man produced a pill, seemingly out of nowhere, and swallowed it. It seemed to reenergize him. In addition, his swords glowed red and burst into flames. Apparently, like Asuma-sensei's knives, this guy had specialized weapons too. And he was a fire type. The fight began in earnest. This time, it was Naruto that was overmatched. The flaming swords negated his wind chakra. The only thing keeping Naruto alive was the speed augmentation he received from his wind manipulations. Naruto could do little but dodge. Even so, every near miss was scalding hot, like the blades emitted steam just beyond the flames. Kiremitsu swung at Naruto's head, forcing the boy to duck. He then adjusted his arc, bringing both blades down on the crouching blonde. To stave off death, Naruto formed a quick _rasengan_, which pushed back both blades but spent all of the whirling balls' power to do so. "Impressive."

Naruto took a quick glance. Shizune was in no danger of freeing herself and Tsunade was still a blood-soaked wreck. It would seem Naruto would have to defeat the rogue ninja by himself. _"What advantage can I leverage over this guy?"_ Naruto had been recently training his power, but had forgotten the more subtle aspects of his skills in the process. _"Maybe it's time to out-whit him."_ The man was one who knew the power of knowledge, but maybe he wasn't quick on his feet. The booklet Ebisu gave him before the finals detailed the use of elements over than wind. Naruto also remembered one low-rank water technique that might have bearing on his situation now. This one he had personal experience with. Concentrating, Naruto formed a mist. The thick watery haze was easy enough to form in the temperate climate they were in. The greenness of the landscape in Fire Country was testament to the fact of moisture being plenty.

For Kiremitsu, the mist was an annoyance. It would take too long to find the boy in this soup. _"At least he can't see me either."_ Being who he was, Kiremitsu was a man who had become accustomed to using his sight. He was trained to glean vast knowledge through his eyes. In this instance, his reliance on sight was his undoing. An arrow pierced the foggy veil and took him in the chest. Fire blossomed in his chest. Whatever it had hit, it was bad for him. _"Probably nicked an artery." _ Kiremitsu realized he was dying.

It was an idea that may or may not have worked. Naruto had no idea if the man knew about his sensor pulses. Apparently he hadn't, otherwise he would have tried harder to get out of the mist. Naruto looked down at the dying man. "Too bad for you; you didn't seem like a really bad guy."

The rogue ninja gave a blood smeared smile. "I'm not. That doesn't mean I'm okay with losing. By the way, do you know what a dead man's switch is?" All of a sudden, Naruto felt uncertainty creep up on him. He performed a more detailed sensor pulse and found something disturbing. A tiny string of chakra connected the man to some sort of machination over by where Shizune was tied down. Naruto hurried to save Shizune. It was his duty as a ninja to serve and protect. Naruto barely made it in time to jump in front of the mechanism, which sprayed _kunai_ at Shizune as Kiremitsu died. Naruto took the full brunt of the barrage. The knives weren't flung hard enough to cut through bone, but the soft tissues of a person's lower back was less fortunate than his spine or shoulders. His entire back felt like it was on fire. The boy groaned and writhed on the ground.

For Shizune, a _kunai_ fortunately sliced through a section of rope holding her in place. She was then able to free herself. However, her own injuries rendered her incapable of helping the boy or herself. "Tsunade-sama!"

Even through her catatonic state, the visual aspects of the fight still registered to the veteran _kunoichi_. She saw the example of self-sacrifice that Naruto demonstrated. Combined with Shizune's plea for help, began to snap her out of her palsy. Tsunade slowly trudged over to her assistant and the dying boy. "Please help him, Tsunade-sama."

The boy was oozing blood through all the cuts on his back. This backed off Tsunade for a moment. The unwanted memories came back to haunt her once again. Oh how she tired of the despair. Tsunade wished for nothing less than to be rid of the memories, to be absolved of her failures. _"Maybe this is the time."_ Pushing through the haze of pain welling up inside, the Senju princess concentrated. The wounds began to close. When she checked for a pulse, it was weak, but steady. For the first time in a while, Tsunade felt she once again had control over some of the circumstances of death.

The boy groaned, startling Tsunade. The magnitude of internal bleeding he had incurred should have made it impossible for him to regain consciousness so quickly. "Do you believe that you can make things okay again yet?" He said past a wheeze.

Tsunade smiled softly. "Yes. And I believe you do know what it means to be a Hokage." She took off her necklace and placed it over the boy's head. "My bet's on you now. Don't let me down, kiddo." She placed a kiss on the boy's forehead. _"Kushina, he's got your guts."_

_

* * *

_A/N

If my story get's edited but there's no new chapter, it might be because I'm fixing up minor details here and there. Don't mock me. I'm OCD like that. Although I'll usually try to restrain myself and just do fixes when I have a new chapter.


	14. The Demon Hunters

**A/N: Another point being rehashed by reviewers back in chapter 11 questions Ino being taught the rasengan. Mostly, no reason is given except for the fact they can't believe Jiraiya would teach anyone but Naruto that technique. One of the things that I hate is cliché. Every trite rehash is a pain in my side. If you want to read about the exact same Naruto, this is not it. I'm here to break the mold, and I admit there are circumstances where I do so for no other reason than to be different. But bear with me and free your mind from whatever preconceptions you hold way too dear. Also, there is a plan involved in this whole thing which will become more apparent later on. **

**

* * *

**

The inauguration of the Godaime – or Fifth Hokage – was the salve to the wounded spirit of Konoha. Konohagakure's balance sheet of awed names had three standouts before the invasion – Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and Kakashi Hatake. To lose one was a blow. To be able to replace said hole was a boon unlike any other. So when the fateful words were uttered, another name joined the list of heroes 'to make one sleep soundly at night'. "I am the Godaime, Tsunade Senju."

Of course, after the honeymoon was over… so to speak… work had piled up. Not just paperwork, but actual far-reaching decisions. It was known that one Naruto Uzumaki defeated the Sand's dreaded demon child, but he didn't kill Gaara. So who did? The Sand ninjas left the bodies of their dead comrades to rot, so patrols could partially reconstruct the events surrounding the death of the Ichibi container. The picture wasn't pretty. Some wild card faction out there had the gall and the strong arm to knock off _jinchuuriki_.

Then there was the physical damage incurred by the village. Walls had been knocked down, homes flattened, businesses burned out, and roads ruined. To fix it all, the village needed money. The bill for the village was no small amount. It was something upwards of a hundred million _ryo_. This wasn't even counting the extra several million _ryo_ bill that Konoha was footing for their indebted Hokage. To put it lightly, it would take a lot of missions to pay for it all…

That brings up the next point. The number of ninja killed in the invasion wasn't crippling, but it was significant. A quick glance at the numbers revealed that, unless a good number of _genin_ were promoted, Konoha would be sending newly minted _genin_ on C-ranked missions. One should just forget the idea of ever sending reservists outside these walls. In a stroke of luck, however, a number of _genin_ had recently distinguished themselves, alleviating some of the strain.

For this reason, the nine members of Teams Seven, Eight, and Ten stood in the newly anointed Godaime's office. Holding up a slew of flak vests, Tsunade got straight to the point. "As you can guess, some of you here will be receiving promotions to _chuunin_. The first three are for the prestigious feat of promotion by examination. Step forth Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Naruto Uzumaki." The three former _genin_ took the marks of their new rank with humble bows… in addition to one smirk that was anything but. "These next promotions are given for exemplary performance in the field, which you've earned the day of the invasion. Step forth Sasuke Uchiha, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuuga." Truth be told, the kids being promoted today were advanced on the potential they demonstrated. A greater need for _chuunin_ would allow them to prove themselves in the crucible. _"They're still kids. I'm not sending them anywhere without their _jounin_ still present unless it's an easy C-rank mission."_

The standard workload for the ninja ranks was as followed. D-ranked missions were given to _genin_ teams. C-ranked missions went to experienced _genin_ with instructor present, lone experienced _chuunin_, or a partially promoted _genin_ team. B-ranked missions continued the trend. These were given to experienced _chuunin_ teams, a _chuunin_ team with a _jounin_ member, or _chuunin_ teams with _jounin_ captains. Obviously, A and S-ranked missions were given to _jounin_ and groups of _jounin_ almost exclusively. Of course there were exceptions, which were usually never a good thing. The thing about ninja missions; they fell into a sort of bell curve. The majority of missions were C-ranked or B-ranked. Hence the need for rapid promotions on this day… not that Tsunade enjoyed such ploys. She didn't want any of these kid's lives to be put in danger just because the village was strapped for personnel. Business was business though, and the business of the village superseded all.

* * *

Sasuke brooded upon Team Seven's latest mission. The simple mission had started out as a C-ranked bodyguard op for a spoiled actress. Yukie Fukikaze, prima-donna actress, turned out to be Koyuki Kazahana – _daimyo_ of the newly constituted Land of Spring. The mission was done without Team Seven's captain - Kakashi - for the dual fact that the manpower-strapped village needed him elsewhere, and a team with two _chuunin_ should have been sufficient for a C-ranked mission. Of course, Team Seven's luck ensures nothing is ever simple. So, the uncanny team found themselves with two completed A-ranked missions before their first C-ranked mission even. For Sasuke and Naruto, it was three, since they had supposedly been responsible for Shukaku's downfall.

All in all, the team was in high spirits, except one. Predictably, this was the brooding Sasuke Uchiha prima-donna of all the ninja lands. Not to say his skills weren't advanced for his age, but for the fact that he exemplified the saying 'the grass is greener on the other side'. He was one destined to never be happy. For his own part, he performed admirably during the liberation of Snow Country. His ire was based solely on the fact he was outshined by his low-born, in his estimation, teammate. The vanguard of the hostiles was a team of rogue ninja in chakra-dampening armor. This made them a threat far in excess of their actual skill levels, but Team Seven naturally triumphed. However, it was Naruto who winded up defeating both the leader of the rogue ninjas and the usurping _daimyo_. According to '_The History of the World: As Told by the Uchiha Clan'_, this simply shouldn't happen.

Team Seven hoofed their way home with Sasuke's eyes boring holes into the back of Naruto's overeager head the whole way. _"I'm the last Uchiha. What makes this idiot so much stronger than me? I've fucking had it."_ The lowborn clown's growh shattered the safe truism of Sasuke's unarticulated motto: nothing beats an Uchiha. Denial, last refuge of an exaggerated ego, would reason that all he needed was a better chance to prove himself.

For Naruto's part, he was completely at peace within himself. He was quickly gaining respect and admiration from his peers. Even his pink-haired quasi-crush treated him better these days. _"Probably because I refuse to be treated as a punching bag,"_ Naruto correctly assumed. He'd be agreeable to it, though. It was a huge step up from the way she used to treat him. Not to mention that one always wanted what one couldn't have. His hooking up with his teammate's best friend probably improved her opinion of him simply by demonstrating himself as boyfriend material… or something of the sort.

With a more neutral outlook, Sakura could admit the blonde's appeal to herself. She knew that she only had eyes for the other member of her team, though. _"What the hell, he should be happy with Ino-pig. If only Sasuke could open up like Naruto though…"_

As was standard procedure for Team Seven, their idle thoughts would be interrupted by life-threatening circumstances.

"Hey 'tachi. Isn't that your kid brother with the target?" A hulking man with cerulean, sandpaper skin asked his partner. His partner nodded in reply. "Wanna' say hello?"

"That is not our mission at this time." The dark-haired, severe-faced partner admonished. The robotic tones of the smaller man never failed to inspire healthy respect from the sharkish giant. "However…"

"Yeah…" The blue-skinned hulk smiled his serrated teeth, anticipating a more amiable response.

"Our data suggested that they would be traveling under the protection of Kakashi of the _Sharingan_ Eye. I do not sense him anywhere in the vicinity. This would be a rare opportunity to easily capture the nine-tails." The smaller man explained in imperious tones.

"Then what are we waiting for?" The blue man produced his peculiar sword into his hands.

* * *

Danzo Shimura was a man singularly focused on a single goal. He wanted to see his village – Hidden Leaf – rise to supremacy. They enjoyed a considerably advanced reputation in terms of resources, quality, and reliability. However, recent events confirmed his philosophy that only the dead are not your enemy. His foolish contemporary, the late Third Hokage, favored a less proactive approach. Worse, the new appointee to the office of Hokage – Tsunade Senju – was cut from the same cloth. Moreover, she was not as young as she appeared. She was merely a stopgap Hokage. Her use of the sozo saisei – Creation Rebirth technique – ensured her reign could be not longer than twenty years. Danzo himself, though far more suitable, would have been a stopgap Hokage as well. What Danzo needed was a more permanent solution. Who could bring about his vision of a dominant Konohagakure?

Looking down at the stack of papers on his desk, he began rifling through them. Each sheet of paper had a twin possessed by his field agents in ROOT. Everything that was recorded on one sheet would appear on the other. It would also disappear after a time. This way, Danzo received up-to-the-minute details on everything that happened in his demesne. An interesting correspondence was taking place with one agent in particular.

**B012420-9SAI**

**TEAM 7 MISSION TO SNCNTRY SUCCESSFUL /W UPGRADE +2**

**NO CASUALTIES**

**CURRENT POSITION 36'55" X -14'31"**

This was an uncommon occurrence. Missions rarely ended successfully after being upgraded. Teams were given missions according to their capabilities. An upgraded mission usually accompanied a list of dead, missing, and wounded. A mission that was doubly upgraded and successful with no casualties was unheard of. However, reports he had read indicated this particular cell had done the feat twice now. Perhaps one of them could be persuaded to continue Danzo's mission. Torune and Fu would be returning with their detachment from an operation in Wind Country. Their path home would intersect with Team Seven's. Perhaps he could arrange for them to represent ROOT to the budding young stars of the _shinobi_ corps. _"Sasuke and Naruto, Uchiha and Senju; Konoha will grow strong once we return to our roots…"_

_

* * *

_

Standing in plain sight, as conspicuous as can be, stood two men in black cloaks adorned with red clouds. Their faces were hidden by the large _sugegasa_ they wore on their heads. The young trio ran smack dab towards the mysterious duo. It was the classic sign that something was about to go terribly wrong. Men don't stand deathly still and silent. When they came within earshot of the cloaked figures, one of them spoke.

"Naruto Uzumaki, if you value the lives of your teammates, then come with us." A stern voice rang out. This voice, unknown to two members of Team Seven, was instantly recognizable to the other.

"Itachi…" Sasuke's voice quivered with vicious hate. Itachi simply ignored his brother as if he didn't even rate as a nuisance. Amply warned by the anger that seemed to emanate off Sasuke like ripples in water, Itachi was impulsively attacked by his brother. Sasuke's ill-planned assault met with predictable failure. The screeching _chidori_ in Sasuke's hand, taught to him by Kakashi before the _chuunin_ exam finals, was slapped aside by Itachi at the elbow. With the same hand, Itachi grabbed Sasuke's throat in a vise-like grip. Sasuke's whirling _sharingan_ eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at the crushing force Itachi was applying. Itachi's own eyes morphed into something neither Sakura nor Naruto had seen before. After a second or two, Itachi dropped Sasuke to the ground. The last loyal Uchiha lay on the ground, seizing. His eyes rolled up into his head as he passed out.

Naruto had to restrain Sakura, lest she run into the fray to receive a similar fate. "Just what are you after?" Naruto asked them, buying time for a proper plan of action.

"You," Itachi simply said.

His partner elaborated on his answer. "Our leader told us to grab all the people with demons –like you." The larger man grinned, which revealed his pointed teeth, causing Sakura to shrink away in Naruto's hands. The blue-skinned man was given a look of censure by his partner. "What? It's not like these kids are gonna' be alive to tell anyone that." Itachi said nothing.

Hearing that, Sakura snapped and went for Sasuke. To cover her approach, Sakura threw a smoke pellet. The pellet hit the ground beneath their feet and a think plume of purplish smoke fanned outward, encompassing them and Sasuke. Sakura rushed in, with the intent of saving the object of her affections. She bent low and felt out with her hands and fingers traced over the slumping shoulders of the unconscious boy. Before she could liberate him from danger, she felt a blow to her side.

Kisame could not see through the smoke, but he didn't need to. The _kunoichi_ barely even tried to conceal the vector of her advance. He merely stepped in the way and threw a blind kick with his tree trunk of a leg. That leg caught her just below the ribs, square on her belly. It lifted her off her feet painfully.

For Sakura, the blow ignited fire in her belly until the agonizing tightening occurred just as she spilled her guts from the kick. She lolled to one side and whimpered pathetically. Kisame stood over her, laughing at her expense. She lay there catatonic, holding her side as Kisame taunted her. "Hey sweetie, is it that time of the month for you?" Casually, he rested his sword over her back and tugged. The sword, unlike any other Naruto had ever seen, ripped a bloody gash across her back.

Naruto had seen enough. His fervor for battle was lit, but the safety of his teammates overrode the electric anger arching through him. Fighting against two S-class ninjas wasn't an option, though it sorely tempted his impulsive side. He made hundreds of clones which selflessly charged the two mass murderers. Meanwhile, the real Naruto performed the Hidden Mist Technique, shrouding the area in a thick fog. Knowing the mist wouldn't fool the experienced ninjas for long, Naruto had a clone pick up Sasuke while he folded Sakura over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. To further conceal their escape, Naruto dug around in Sakura's equipment pouch, producing an explosive tag. He threw it in the direction of his escape. The mist was dispelled before Naruto could even gain a hundred paces. Luckily, more clones engaged to buy time. The cloaked monsters followed Naruto, their pace unsettling. Focusing his chakra, Naruto activated the explosive tag as Itachi and Kisame ran past it. The buffeting concussion of the blast momentarily stopped the pair, but the hardened ninjas reacted well to protect themselves. The scant seconds it brought was vital, however.

Naruto found that keeping pace ahead of his pursuers was hard. They were as fast as he was even with extensive use of his wind manipulation to propel himself and liberal application of the body flicker technique. Naruto took a quick peek back to see what was behind him, foreboding feelings dominated his mind. It seemed with good reason as well, Itachi was going through some hand seals, the result of which was that he spat fire. The curling arcs of flame bombarded Naruto's position as he desperately maneuvered to avoid the conflagration. Naruto had to stop momentarily to put out the hem of his coat, which had caught fire from a grazing hit. The shadow clone wasn't as lucky. It was dispelled by the fire, dropping Sasuke. Naruto cursed under his breath but kept on going. _"Sasuke, I hope you wake up soon, for your own sake."_

To a mixed sense of relief and aggravation, both rogue ninjas continued pursuit of Naruto. How much longer he could stay ahead of the pair, the blonde didn't know.

Unknown to the pursuers and the pursued, a hidden spectator haunted their steps. Melding through the ground next to Sasuke, another black-shrouded figure sprang up. The peculiar man sported green hair and his head was framed by what looked like the oversized mandibles of a Venus fly trap. Stranger still, half his face was pitch black and half toned in pasty white. The figure observed Sasuke for a while.

"Why… betray… clan… 'tachi? Don't… listen… fight… Senju." The composite-faced man listened to the Uchiha's incoherent mumblings, trying to glean some meaning. The words that got through were enough for him.

"Madara will want to deal with this." The enigmatic figure took up Sasuke and spirited him away.

* * *

Naruto was on his last legs. He still had plenty of energy, but ideas on how to distance himself from his pursuers eluded him. Any sort of plan was rendered a moot point. Naruto could sense another attack coming from his pursuers. They made periodic attempts. This was different. The size of the attack was massive. The roiling water splashed around in the shape of a giant shark. Most of Naruto's view of the shark was spoiled by the great pointy teeth of the thing. Protecting himself as best he could, Naruto shielded Sakura with his body and himself with a thick buffeting coat of wind. The water projectile, presumably from the shark man, enveloped Naruto. A fatal level of damage was mitigated by Naruto's wind chakra, but it still slammed him down hard. Moreover, the attack seemed to have drained a portion of Naruto's chakra and slowed him down.

Naruto's vision swam from the jarring impact. The intense buzzing in his ears told him how hard he'd struck the ground. The buzzing only seemed to intensify, alerting Naruto to the possibility that something other than a concussion was the source. A thick, black cloud of pestilence interposed itself between Naruto and his pursuers. Naruto let out a sensor pulse, painting a confusing picture. About a dozen ninja sporting the spiraling leaf symbol of Konoha stood off to the side, but close. The pursuers stopped at the sight of the new arrivals.

Itachi guessed who these men were. They were a blight on him and a spectre from his past, though he did not advertise the fact. Though not highly esteemed by Itachi, he could admit they were well trained individuals. Against their number, he could not guarantee a clean capture, and his orders were to avoid unnecessary risks. "Let's go."

Kisame looked disappointed. "Come on, 'tachi. We can take these guys." That may or may not have been the case, but Itachi was ever the methodical one.

"It's not wise to take the chance. We go now."

* * *

Naruto got up in time to face his rescuers.

"Where is Sasuke Uchiha?" The leader said without ceremony. The uniquely attired ninja was clad head to toe in black. He shared a black pauldron-like vest with the rest of his fellows. Additionally, his eyes were covered by thick tinted lenses that were part of his mask. Only his mouth, nose, and chin were uncovered.

"We lost him somewhere back there when we were bein' chased. We gotta go look for him." Naruto cajoled.

"We will summon reinforcements and continue the search. Our leader would like to have a word with you in the meantime. And the girl looks as if she may need medical attention." The black figure reasoned back.

Naruto looked back at the direction they had come from, his thoughts clouded over his face. Unable to answer, his emotional fatigue only allowed him to nod in acquiescence. Regaining some composure as they traveled, Naruto was able to venture a question. "Who are you guys?"

The black one explained. "What we are is up to our leader to explain. If you require names to address us with, then I can be called Torune." He pointed to another member with orange hair and a red _gi_ over which he wore the black pauldron-vest. "He may be addressed as 'Fu', and you principle contact will likely be Sai." The last one was a younger boy not much older than Team Seven. His skin was pale and he had black hair. This one wore a _chuunin_ vest over a black ensemble.

"Nice to meet you guys…" Naruto greeted them, more subdued than usual. Indeed, the normally exuberant boy was quite somber – for good reason.


	15. In the Hours of the Wolf

The rookie _chuunin_ stood in front of a man who looked old and decrepit down even past the skin. Half his face was bandaged while the other half was wrapped in a dour expression. Near Konoha, his mysterious saviors opened up a trapdoor in the forest about a kilometer outside the walls. Underneath the ground lay a labyrinth of hallways and rooms all carved from the earth and inlaid with black bricks. Sakura was taken from his arms with promise of medical care. He alone came to stand before this enigma of a man.

"Naruto Uzumaki, do you know why you are here?" The man asked in slow, solemn tones. The _chuunin_ shook his head. "My name is Danzo. I command an elite cadre of ninjas loyal to Konoha. That is all I am willing to tell you about my operations for now. What I can tell you is that I represent an alternative."

"Wait," Naruto interjected. "Can I ask if you've found Sasuke?"

The man was silent for a while. "I regret to inform you that my agents could not find Sasuke Uchiha. He is missing at this time; we must presume him dead." The man grimly relayed the news to Naruto.

The blonde let out a deep sigh and looked away for a second. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Let me ask you a question. Did you always agree with Hiruzen Sarutobi?" The man asked smoothly.

"Nah, who agrees on **everything**?" Naruto admitted nonchalantly. "He once told me that I'd have a hard time as a ninja if I wore orange. That hasn't hurt me yet."

Though not quite what Danzo had in mind, he would use whatever avenue existed to achieve his aims. Tsunade's appointment to the position of Godaime was a mistake, or so Danzo felt. She was too firmly entombed within Hiruzen's philosophy. The rising, young Uzumaki might be more susceptible to his influence. "If you knew that the invasion was imminent would you go on the offensive to forestall it? Would you strike so that all the deaths that day could be avoided?"

"Well… yeah. If I could have stopped it I would definitely want to." The blonde said.

"Hiruzen knew. He let the exams continue anyways. How many needless deaths did that bring about?" The old man let the question hang in the air.

"Okay, so what's that got to do with me?" Naruto asked with some suspicion creeping into him.

"If you were to continue to gain power and prestige at your current rate, you might become Hokage one day. I am an old man who has given a lifetime of service to the village. I merely want to see for myself that you have the resolve to do what is necessary to make the Leaf strong again."

The boy gave a thumbs-up, a gesture unsuited towards the wrapped, decrepit figure. Nevertheless, Danzo took it as a good sign again. He just needed the boy to be able to mold. He needed to instill certain philosophies in the young one. "You bet I would."

"I'm glad you feel that way. Of course, you must be anxious to see your surviving teammate. She should be awake by now. Would you like to go see her?" The man asked. Danzo was a man grown used to manipulating people. Today, he showed the carrot. Tomorrow… the stick.

* * *

Naruto sat beside Sakura's hospital bed. She was lying face down on the bed, her back and shoulders in bandages; the flesh underneath was still tender to sleep on. The pair had come back into the village through the gates after Sakura received initial medical aid from Danzo's cadre. They came out of his complex through a different outside entrance in order to check in at the gate, avoiding suspicion.

The pink girl turned her head to look at Naruto. Hope shone through her eyes. Naruto, understanding the unspoken question, shook his head. "I'm sorry Sakura. They couldn't find him." He elaborated no further.

The girl nodded her head slowly and let it fall back onto her pillow. Naruto could see from a side profile of her face that she had her eyes tightly squeezed shut. Spots darkened her pillow as tears began to drip from her eyes, unseen but not unfelt. Naruto reached over and took her hand to try to comfort her. It was reassuring that someone paid homage to her pain.

"Sakura-chan, I don't mean any disrespect – especially to Sasuke – but what did you see in him? He was a good teammate, all things considered, but it didn't seem like he cared much. It sucks that he's gone, but there's gotta' be something else behind your tears." Naruto asked softly. He simply did what came naturally to him. He pried and dug. He made people acknowledge feelings in themselves they may have consciously forgotten.

"It's something you weren't there to see. I know you were registered for the academy early and only fell back to your age group because you failed three times. The rest of us registered for the academy on the same day. There were certain… standards that had to be met. For a civilian to join the academy, they had to prove that they could come to mold chakra. Those who looked like their bodies would never sustain the energies were refused. Sasuke and his brother are the reason I'm a _kunoichi_ at all." Sakura thought in remembrance, telling Naruto about a day long past.

_A young child with gentle pink hair walked hand-in-hand with her mother. A uniformed ninja greeted them in the courtyard outside the academy's entrance. The mother handed the man a slip of paper. _

_ "Everything seems to be in order ma'am. We have just one thing to test." The man motioned for someone else to come over to him. A medic in the white tunic of an _iryo-nin_ came to stand beside the man._

_ "Hold still sweetie. We just have to do a test. It won't hurt at all." The medic touched her arms and navel, prodded at her arms and feet, and performed unseen ministrations. Sadly, he shook his head. "I'm sorry ma'am. I can't, in good conscience, allow her to try to be a ninja. Her chakra system is underdeveloped and would put her in serious jeopardy. The only other way in is with a letter of recommendation from a high ranking _jounin_." _

_ The girl, hearing this, began to cry into the crook of her arm. She had once heard tales about the gallantry of ninja forces. It had captured her imagination from an early age. Now, the wonders of that world were being denied to her._

_ "What going on there, _nii-san_?"A young Sasuke asked, watching the interplay between the pink haired girl and the academy official. _

_ An older likeness of Sasuke, except for more angular features, watched the same scene as his younger brother. "That girl is being denied entry into the academy." He explained simply to his brother._

_ The young Uchiha felt sick inside. As an Uchiha, there was no other path he would more like to follow than that of a ninja. To be denied the privilege of becoming one seemed cruel to his young mind. He empathized with the girl. "Can we help her?" Itachi looked at his brother with a scrutinizing gaze before nodding approval._

_ "Come." Itachi led his brother up to the instructor. _

_ "Ah, Itachi-sempai, are you here to enroll your brother?" The _chuunin_ in charge asked. Both he and the medic bowed deeply. Despite only being a teenager, Itachi was already a _jounin_; he outranked the both of them. _

_ "Yes I am. I couldn't help but wonder at the situation we have here." Itachi said, indicating the crying girl. _

_ "It is unfortunate," the academy official began, "but it isn't likely she'll develop the capacity needed to mold chakra. I can't let her enroll in the academy in good conscience." The man stated with genuine remorse._

_ Itachi allowed him to save face and still help the girl. "If I may, I believe you are incorrect." Itachi activated his _sharingan_ eyes. "You are correct she is well behind the development curve for a chakra user, however, my eyes indicate she is growing, albeit slowly. In time, she will have the capacity."_

_ The _iryo-nin_ nodded in assent. "I can only gauge her chakra as is, I can't see its growth like Itachi-sama."_

_ "Alright then, we can process her." The man bent down and patted the pink girl's shoulder. "It's alright lass; this man here says you can be a ninja."_

_ Sakura regained her composure enough to see the retreating form of her saviors. She took off in their direction, leaving her mother to finish talking to the instructor. Sakura tugged at a pocket on Itachi's flak vest. "Thank you so much mister!"_

_ The older boy turned around and emotionlessly explained the truth to her. "You should thank my brother. He was sympathetic to you and asked me to intervene." As they walked off Sakura saw the younger boy smile and wave as they left. Later, she would learn his name to be Sasuke Uchiha, the gifted son of a noble ninja clan._

_

* * *

_

"No shit, he really was like that once?" Naruto was almost incredulous at the tale. He could have sworn that Sasuke was incapable of compassion.

The tear-filled story left Sakura with a slight hiccup. "I'm sorry Naruto. I know I never really appreciated you, but now you know the reason. Sasuke's in my heart for more than just his looks and name."

"You don't have to explain yourself. I've always respected Sasuke as a ninja, but thought of him as a self-entitled, callous prick. Whatever happened to him the night his clan died… it twisted him up inside, didn't it?" Sakura could only nod sadly. In the hour of loss, the Uchiha's teammates could only reflect on his life in the absolute best of terms. He was only cold because of his hurt, they'd think. At some level, he must have cared about them. Maybe it was true in some way. But it wasn't wholly truthful. This, they would learn.

A knock at the door commanded their attention. Naruto got up and opened the door to the hospital room. Without ceremony, Ino Yamanaka came in and hugged her lover. "Are you alright? I heard something happened to you guys." Ino then turned her attention to Sakura in her bed. The blond girl bent down over her friend's bed and embraced her as well.

"Ow!" Sakura yelped. Ino had brushed her raw back in the embrace.

"Sorry, what happened? What'd I do?" The well wisher asked.

Sakura waved it off as nothing. "It's just an injury I got. It's not serious, it just hurts. Just be careful piggy."

Ino took Sakura's face in her hands. "Have you been crying? What's wrong?" Sakura held back a sob that was starting to build up again.

"We lost Sasuke." The floral named girl told her friend numbly.

"I'm so sorry." At this point, Naruto decided to leave the room and let the girls talk privately. He had some vague idea that their relationship was deeper than the public rivalry that seemed to consume them. Waiting outside was one of Danzo's agents. It was the same boy that was part of the cadre sent to rescue them.

"I bring greetings from Danzo-sama. In case you didn't remember, I am Sai. I will be your principle contact with Danzo and ROOT." The boy told him.

"ROOT? Is that what you guys call yourselves?" The pasty-faced boy nodded in the affirmative. "So what exactly does the old man want with me? You guys weren't exactly clear on the fact."

"The deal is simple. Danzo-sama has volunteered to help in your training and support a future attempt at obtaining the position of Hokage. In return, he asks for certain… considerations." The boy evenly explained.

Naruto looked at the boy seriously. "What considerations, exactly?" By now, Naruto knew enough to be wary of the vague promises being exchanged.

"That is for Danzo-sama to decide. I am merely his messenger."

"I can't agree to anything until I know what he wants." Naruto sternly warned. The other boy seemed to not be bothered in the least.

"Very well; in the coming weeks and months, you will meet him again. I hope you agree at that time."

* * *

Seeing the state her friend was in, Ino decided to lay off her normal teasing. "Sakura-chan, you look a mess." Trying to be productive, the Yamanaka rifled through her friend's hair, restoring some sense of order to the pink locks. During the ministrations, the pair spoke sparsely and in whispers. The quiet activity and soothing motions eventually put the injured girl to sleep. Ino left her friend to sleep. Outside, she found Naruto still waiting.

"How is she?" He asked. His face betrayed worry to match his voice. There was a hint of something else as well – guilt.

"She's sleeping now. What about you?" The blond girl questioned her intimate friend.

"I just wished I hadn't lost Sasuke. I'm kinda' wondering if I should have tried harder to go back for him." Naruto followed up with a brief description of the chase.

Ino understood Naruto. He put the weight of the world on his shoulders by default. He was, once again, contemplating if the failure was his. "If you had tried, all three of you would be dead or missing. So don't even think it." He seemed to shrink yet stand taller at once. "Take care of her. I have a feeling she's going to need someone to be there for her."

"What about us?" Naruto asked curiously.

For Ino, their budding romance had exposed her to feelings that were new and intense. At some level, she feared a real relationship and resulting loss of freedom. She told him as much. "I definitely have a thing for you, but I don't know if I'm ready to declare 'eternal love' or some such thing. We're young, y'know. Granted, we do some dangerous things and might not live long, but I want to experience more of life before anything – serious – happens. I'm not saying you should go after Sakura, but I wouldn't be angry if something did happen. Maybe down the line, we might realize we should get together for good; but let's live a little before we go there."

Naruto listened to her feelings and didn't know what to think. His feelings were no less intense, but he agreed with her sense of uncertainty. A part of his that was a vital, burgeoning young man would lament the loss of physical intimacy. However, as a ninja, he knew it would be a mistake to let feelings take over. There was no need to rush things, and no reason not to revisit **them** as more mature people. "Yeah, I kinda get what you're sayin'."

* * *

Team Seven sans one Sasuke Uchiha convened a meeting at their old stomping, _viz_ training, grounds. Kakashi was back from his own solo mission and would be checking in on them following their harrowing experience. Sakura had been healed and released in relatively short order. Her physical wounds, though painful, were not quite serious. The blemish on her heart was more lasting.

"Yo." They heard the familiar greeting. The tone was different this time. It lacked the hint of playfulness that Kakashi normally let leach into his voice. Also absent was his orange book, tucked safely away judging from the slight convexity of his front breast pocket. A far cry from his usual tardiness, he was on time. "I heard about what happened." He laid a hand on Sakura's and Naruto's shoulders. The gesture was reassuring, as if the pain could be shared and made less intense through the contact. "There's something else you guys should know. Team Seven is going to get a new member so that the team is suitable for normal mission loads. The new guy should be here shortly. Ah, here he comes."

The same boy that was to be Naruto's contact with ROOT made his way towards Team Seven. He stood still and ramrod straight with a smile that could have been molded from plastic. "Is this Team Seven?" The boy said with a false sense of warmth. He was a good actor, but Naruto could tell how forced his cordiality was.

"Yes, welcome to the team. Everybody, this is Sai. Why don't you tell us about yourself?" Kakashi introduced him. Naruto looked at him with an outwardly friendly, but pointed, gaze.

"I am, as has been said, named Sai. Until recently, I was in the reserves after having been made _chuunin_. I decided I'd rather be an artist, you see. I might have been wrong. Just a few months of civilian life made me want to continue my ninja career. After the invasion, I asked to rejoin the _shinobi_ corps and was kindly re-commissioned at my former rank." The boy said in strangely even keel.

Naruto looked at him incredulously. "You quit being a ninja to become an artist. Then you decided that you'd rather be a ninja. It seems flaky to me."

The plastic smile never left his face. "You could say I got lost on the road of life." The sentiment seemed to hit a little too close to home.

_"Great, there are two of them."_ The boy had just used one of Kakashi's favorite excuses for being late.

"Wait a minute." Sakura interjected with anger laced into her words. "Sasuke's not even confirmed dead yet and we're just going to replace him like it's nothing? How can you agree to this?" She directed her anger at Kakashi. "We should at least try to look for Sasuke first, right? Those guys in the cloaks probably took him." Sakura took off, scoffing in disgust.

"I'll handle this. Stay here and fill Sai in." Kakashi went off after her, leaving Naruto to hash out some words with his contact.

As soon as the _jounin_ left, Naruto turned to his new teammate and began to question him. "So what are you doing on a regular team? Did the old man get tired of you?"

The harlequin smile never left his face. "You underestimate yourself, Naruto-san. Danzo considers you a prized investment. This was too good of an opportunity to place a conduit close to you for easy access to his ear."

"He still hasn't really told me what he wants." Naruto remarked disdainfully. The one-sidedly acerbic talk was at odds with the atmosphere of the lush greenery making up the training ground.

"Would you consider paying him a visit this evening?"

Naruto shrugged. "Sure. We can go as soon as Kakashi releases us."

* * *

"Hello again old man." The grin on his face belied the irreverent attitude with which Naruto so often approached meetings with influential people.

"Greetings to you, young one. Have you thought about what I said last time?" The heavily bandaged man returned.

Naruto shook his head. "To be honest: no. That being said, you didn't exactly say a whole lot. So how do I know what you really want?"

Danzo said nothing for a while before slowly nodding as if he had just reached a thoughtful decision. "Very well then, I shall be plain. The invasion during the _chuunin_ exams has shown how soft we've allowed Konoha to become. I simply want you to continue my philosophies in keeping Konoha strong. Do not repeat the mistakes of the Third Hokage."

Naruto looked at him quizzically. "I get that you have a beef with how the old man ran things, but maybe you're not giving him enough respect. He killed Orochimaru and I heard he did much more when he was younger. How can you say he wasn't strong?"

"Hiruzen was everything a ninja should be in his prime. It is his philosophies I am more in disagreement with than his person. He was too passive, too tentative." Danzo countered.

"Okay, I like facing problems head on myself. But let's get real here. No one is right all the time. He's made mistakes, but you've probably made a few in your day too. I'll agree to help if you can prove to me it's about Konoha and not your ego." The young boy challenged back.

This took Danzo by surprise. Normally, he would be furious at this child daring to speak to him so. Some of his words rang true however. As a pragmatic man, he had to admit no one could be right all the time. Hiruzen's approach may have been inferior to his own, but there must be times when his more delicate solutions would be preferable. At the risk of second guessing himself, Danzo had to respect the blonde's opinion. _"This young one is crafty, despite his simple words. I think this is a decision I can live with."_

"I believe we are in agreement. Perhaps it was folly of me to presume to control a puppet figurehead Hokage in the first place. I would support you whatever your decision, as any should for his Hokage. In return, you must first prove yourself worthy of the title, in time. I only hope you would rule more forcefully than Hiruzen." Danzo had not an inkling of where his sense of faith in this untested boy came from. Something in the back of his mind simply told him that it would be preferable to be behind the boy rather than in his path.

* * *

Since the loss of Sasuke, Naruto watched helplessly as his last teammate changed for the worst. She barely spoke to anyone anymore. She was irritable all the time. Ino was deathly afraid of even coming near her. Sai became a scapegoat for her anger, though he didn't complain at all. All alone, she would train to the edge of exhaustion – throwing weapons, perfecting hand-to-hand combat, and building chakra control as well as capacity. While this endless hard work was effective for people like Naruto, Lee, and Sasuke, it was suicide for a petite girl with a less hardy constitution. When he couldn't take it anymore, he did as he had always done. He confronted the problem head on.

"Sakura, stop it." Naruto grabbed her hand at the wrist before she could grind her bloody knuckles into the training post again. "You're going to kill yourself at this rate."

"What do you care?" Sakura practically spat out. "You never even liked Sasuke!"

"You're right. I don't care about him; I care about you!" He shot back. The admission shocked his teammate into submission. "Don't you understand? You're not doing anyone any good if you run yourself into the ground."

Sakura had no choice but to acknowledge the truth of his words, painful as they were. _"Like hell if I'm going to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging he's right though."_She simply collapsed onto the ground with her back to the post. Her disheveled appearance and rubbery posture was pitiful and pulled at Naruto's heart. He didn't want to see the people close to him ever act this way. When he tried to comfort her, however, she simply snapped at him. "Leave me alone!"

"Sakura, just let me help you, damn it. Why are you doing this?" Naruto fumed at his teammate.

She only stared at him with the expression that suggested she wanted to begin sobbing, but was too numb to summon the emotion. "Sasuke and his clan shouldn't go unavenged." She said this nearly at a whisper. Having stopped her frenzied training, the adrenaline wore off and she felt exhaustion creep up on her. She closed her eyes to hold back the tears that she felt were coming, but all this did was to prepare her for sleep and she passed out soon after.

Naruto saw his old crush close her eyes. They did not open again as minutes went by. Understanding she had fallen asleep, he picked her up as gently as possible and took her home. Leaving her on the doorstep of her home, he placed her down and knocked on the door. _"I don't need her parents getting the wrong idea if I show up with her unconscious in my arms and looking like she did. Besides, I'm too pretty for prison."_

_

* * *

_

Predictably, Sakura was rendered invalid for the next couple of days. This left Naruto with an unwelcomed glut of free time. Sai was only too happy to suggest that he train at the ROOT complex. Seeing no reason not to, Naruto agreed.

The labyrinth complex that was ROOT headquarters was the obvious brainchild of a man who sought mastery of the ninja arts. He religiously detailed all types of _ninjutsu_, _genjutsu_, and every other type of chakra manipulations he or his underlings could ever lay eyes on. He had rooms for the perfection of _ninjutsu_, weaponry skills, and _shinobi_ scholarship. It was impressive. This man, obviously, liked to be well prepared.

"Naruto-san, I understand you are a _kyuudo_ practitioner of some skill, yes?" Sai asked as Naruto trailed after him, receiving a tour of the complex.

"Yeah that's true, I guess. That's why I carry this bow around." Naruto replied absentmindedly as he continued pondering the treasure trove of ninja lore he found himself in. "Why do you wanna' know?"

The other boy led Naruto to an elongated room. It was well provisioned with arrows, targets, and other implements that would be considered conducive to archery training. Sai pointed to a bulls-eye at the end of the room. "Could you demonstrate your skill on that?" Naruto answered by snapping off a quick shot that hit dead center. After fine-tuning his reactions, any clear shot was child's play to him. Sai seemed less than impressed. "I can see you need no help with accuracy. Let's try something else." He loosened a stone brick from the wall, revealing a control mechanism of some sort. Tweaking a few knobs, the bulls-eye that adorned the far wall was swapped with a gleaming silver sheet. "Try to penetrate this."

Naruto charged as much wind chakra as he could into the arrow as he loosed it. The speeding projectile clanged off the metallic target, leaving only a small divot. The arrowhead, despite being enhanced by Naruto's chakra, was smashed blunt at the tip. The bowman blinked rapidly in surprise, his whisker-like markings twitched along with facial expression. "What the hell is that?"

Sai flashed his familiar smirk, though he was inwardly amused, in truth, for once. "The metal is a high strength steel with tungsten and nickel. The forgers were all earth element users who used their skills to blend the alloy along with microscopic carbon fibers to give it incredible strength. It's layered with wood from a species of tree that the First Hokage grew with _moukuton_. It's a natural, three-layer composite wood that is very elastic. The sheet combines layers of the steel and wood. We've yet to develop a technique to penetrate this three inch plate of it, no matter what element we've tried. We've taken to calling it _Senninite_." To demonstrate, he struck the sheep with his _kunai_. The blade screamed as sparks shot from the contact point between knife and plate. The _kunai_ gave first and the tip broke off, emitting a dull clink as it fell to the ground.

Naruto scratched at his head in confusion. "I have no idea what you just said, but I'm putting a hole through this thing if it's the last thing I do… might take some time though." He walked up to the plate and pawed at it, trying to glean some sort of useful information.

"You're welcomed to try. It's something of a project for the ninja here. We have everything you could need. Our library is more extensive than what is communally available and we have an in-house smithy for arrow modification." The boy had obviously spent some time here. He was a walking encyclopedia for all things pertaining to ROOT.

Naruto was suitably impressed. "Man, I'm comin' here all the time."

Ninjas were essential to the economics of the Elemental Countries despite the fact that they produced little beyond goods that had direct military applications. The reason is that most industry was centered in major cities, a few dozen in all. These cities had electricity and running water, a far cry from the rural backwaters that made up the rest of the nation's territory. Almost a quarter of the population was crowded into a twentieth of the land. Thusly, merchants transporting goods through the vast frontiers were apt to hire ninja guards. In Fire Country, the land was well policed, but the monetary windfall lost from one ravaged shipment was such that no merchant could afford not to hire security. Such missions were a steady stream of revenue to ninja villages. They were also the equivalent of a D-ranked mission for _chuunin_ teams, even as their official rank was 'C' or even 'B' depending on the value of the cargo.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sai were in the treasury wing of the Hokage Tower to hand off the mission voucher. Upon completion of more mundane missions, the client would hand over a mission voucher bearing their signature that would allow the treasury to have the village's compensation released from whatever moneylender was keeping the client's mission payment. "You guys go ahead, there's something else I want to take care of." Sakura told them as she split off from the group.

Naruto handed the voucher over to Sai. Ever since Naruto had exchanged words with Sakura over her treatment of herself, she had been somber and reclusive. This mission was no exception, but her last jaunty comment was a sudden shift. Naruto's curiosity wouldn't let it go. "You go ahead and deliver it. I'm going to check on her." Although Sai was inexperienced in dealing with human emotion, he was a trained observer. He sensed the turmoil in Sakura just as well as Naruto, he just couldn't understand the 'why' of it.

Naruto tracked her down and followed her to the Hokage's office. _"I wonder what business she's got with baa-chan."_ While Sakura was inside, Naruto asked Shizune, who was playing secretary, what Sakura wanted with the Hokage.

"Well, Naruto-kun, your teammate said she wanted to ask the Hokage something. Since she's really more busy in terms of paperwork than any other sort of engagement, it'd be alright. I just let her in a minute ago." Tsunade's apprentice explained. Naruto waited outside.

A few minutes later, the doors to Tsunade's office spat out a rather dejected Sakura. Earlier, it seemed like she was turning the corner. Now she resembled a deflating balloon. Her eyes had that haunted, empty look that could only happen in the absence of hope. She walked right past Naruto without even a hint of awareness.

Naruto slipped in to Tsunade's office and stood before his liege. "Hokage-sama, if I may, what did my teammate want to see you for?" Naruto favored a direct line of questioning.

Tsunade, cup of sake in hand and stacks of paperwork below, took a sip as her hands guided her stylus in an intricate dance. "She wanted to see if I would be willing to take her as an apprentice. I said no."

"I kind of figured." Naruto said in a huff. "Why won't you?" He asked out of concern for his teammate and for his own curiosity. "She'd probably be pretty good at it."

The Hokage shrugged. "I'm not in the habit of taking many apprentices."

Naruto looked at her sideways. "Is that it? It would probably save her life, you know. She's starting to make me think she might obsess over this thing with Sasuke. If nothing else, you could take her as an apprentice just to talk sense into her."

Tsunade looked thoughtful. Her face scrunched up and she bit her lip. "I didn't know it was quite that bad. But I can't. Where would I find the time? Contrary to what you might think, being the Hokage is actually a lot of work. In order to have full control over Konoha, every piece of paperwork has to go through me. There's not a lot of delegation going on."

"Do you trust me? If you could, I can help sort out the paperwork. I can at least tell the difference between bullshit forms that just need the rubber stamp and stuff that's over my head. Call it a long-term administrative job while I'm in the village." Naruto said, 'administrative' just about exhausting his vocabulary.

"I'll see what I can do. Call it a favor for you. Tell her to come by for a training schedule tomorrow morning." Tsunade said before she shooed him off.

"Thanks a lot, baa-chan!" Naruto gushed excitedly. Her face frowned at the name he called her. For his part, he still fell into childish patterns when emotional.

"Damn it, don't call me that."

* * *

Sakura Haruno felt like a mouse trapped in a maze, only there seemed no cheese at the end. She just couldn't fathom a way to achieve her hopes. She was a _kunoichi_ that was being far outpaced by her peers and had already lost two teammates in less than a year of service. To add insult to injury, one of them was the boy who made it possible for her to become a ninja in the first place. Furthermore, the Hokage, a woman she admired professionally, wouldn't lift a finger to help her. Maybe there was a way, but she couldn't, for the life of her, begin to comprehend it.

She heard a dull thud coming from her window and ignored it, initially. Instead, she elected to stare into her bathroom mirror as if looking into her reflection would clear her thoughts. The incessant noises wouldn't stop. Perhaps it was a woodpecker that needed to be chased away? Leaving her bathroom, she twisted at the waist to click off the light. The motion nearly caused her to trip and fall when her foot caught a discarded piece of clothing on the ground. Normally she'd kept her living area immaculate, but lately her discipline slipped along with a tenuous hold on her self-esteem.

She made her way over to her window and opened it, peering outside. Instead of an avian pest, it was an annoyance of another kind. "Hiya Sakura-chan." Her teammate was stuck onto the side of her house with chakra.

"What is it, Naruto? It's late. I was about to go to sleep."

The boy acted completely oblivious to her obvious annoyance. In fact, he seemed to gain a head of steam from her unbalanced state. "Baa-chan sent me to tell you that she changed her mind. You can drop by tomorrow for a training schedule." His grin seemed to split his face in two.

For Sakura's part, the news was a ray of hope in an otherwise uniformly downward spiral that was her life. "Really?" She stuttered as if it were too good to be true. "But I pleaded with her and her face didn't even change. Why would she change her mind?"

"I asked her to as a favor, no biggie." Naruto said nonchalantly. It seemed he was unaware of how unnatural his bond with the standing Hokage was. He spoke as if he believed anyone could have swayed Tsunade.

Sakura wasn't as oblivious. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled him inside. "Thank you, Naruto."

"No problem, Sakura-chan." His grin never left his face the entire time.

"If there's anything I can do for you in return…"

Naruto waves his hands, indicating he wasn't interested in any sort of reimbursement. "It's really nothing. Just do your best."

* * *

Over the next several weeks, Naruto could see the marked change in his teammate. It wasn't just her skills. The techniques she learned from Tsunade put her very spirit at ease.

Several weeks into her training, Sakura had the confidence to challenge Naruto to a practice bout during the team's free training period. She was becoming proficient at Tsunade's use of acute chakra spikes to enhance musculature. The added strength and speed actually allowed her to counter Naruto's wind manipulation, which was also growing along with his elemental mastery. They were very evenly matched and the spar only ended when Sakura became too tired to continue.

Sakura took a swig of water from a canteen as she sat, nursing her cosmetic wounds – bruises and cuts. The medical knowledge she was taught was also having great effect as she was able to treat herself back to pristine condition. Naruto knelt alongside her as she practiced her ministrations on herself.

"So it looks like baa-chan's been teachin' ya her good stuff huh?" Naruto asked, hardly winded.

"Just wait 'til next time, Naruto. Maybe I'll actually win one of these days." She made light of her own abilities nowadays instead of being overly defensive about her shortcomings. Along the way, she became accustomed to the fact that she didn't need Sasuke to validate herself as a _kunoichi_. She would always miss the teammate that was a part of her childhood ambitions, but she was a ninja for her own sake once again. And she knew it. "Y'know, Naruto, I never actually thanked you for persuading Tsunade-sama." She surprised him by placing a slight kiss on his cheek.

"You don't have to thank me." He stated, more serene than his normal demeanor.

"I know, but you deserve to hear it more often. I don't know why you take such good care of me. I never did anything for you." She admitted with a slight tinge of guilt.

"Sakura-chan, did you ever find out how Iruka-sensei died?" Naruto asked slowly. She shook her head. Naruto told her the story. He told her about Iruka's sacrifice and the realizations he had that day. Iruka saved the boy that carried his family's murderers. He was a ninja of Konoha who performed the ultimate act of kindness simply out of a sense of honor and compassion. From that day, Naruto had always felt a greater bond with his comrades and his village. Like Iruka, he would be willing to ease the burdens of those close to him as a matter of course. He did it just to be a good, stalwart _shinobi_.

By the end of the story, the two held each other in silent comfort. No tears were shed; grief was already a stage long past. It was just an embrace of understanding.

* * *

ROOT's library, or rather a catalogue of _ninjutsu_ knowledge in the form of intelligence reports, was the most useful aspect of Naruto's involvement with the shadowy group. He would come to the labyrinth base to study it every day he was in the village. Access to the knowledge was made available to him freely, but today Sai awaited him. "Danzo-sama wishes to speak to you first." Naruto nodded and made his way to Danzo's office. The layout of ROOT's base was becoming second nature to him.

"You wanted to see me?" Naruto asked as he entered the office of his near patron.

"I hope you aren't reneging on our deal. I had hoped you would be able to look past your sense of sentimentality." ROOT's leader said robotically.

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Did you or did you not persuade the Hokage to waste valuable time instructing a weak girl just because you happen to be infatuated with her?" He asked with outward calm. Naruto knew him well enough to imagine that if he were anyone else, spittle would be flying from his mouth as he spat the words.

Naruto merely laughed. "No offense, old man, but you're still caught up in the old ninja codes without thinkin' about if they're really the best way to handle stuff. Would it be better if baa-chan did or didn't pass on her knowledge?"

Danzo didn't like where this was heading but he had to allow that Naruto was right. "It would be preferable if Tsunade were to pass her knowledge onto someone strong enough to make use of it." He put out as a counterargument.

"Let me guess. You would prefer that one of your ROOT _kunoichi_ be that one, right?" Danzo could only nod. Naruto shook his head. "I think you're the one ego-tripping here. It'd be useless because baa-chan wouldn't just teach anyone. Sakura-chan is a good apprentice for baa-chan because she can learn it and baa-chan is **willing** to teach her. What do you think the chances of your ROOT _kunoichi_ ever being considered in the first place?" Danzo grit his teeth. The boy had an infuriating habit of being right more often than not.

"Very well. Your arguments have been cogent enough. I can agree with your reasoning for now." Danzo allowed and phrased in a way that enabled him to seize control over the conversation again.

The boy wouldn't leave it be without parting words. "Old man, don't get caught up in a pissing contest. We're ninja; it means we do whatever it takes to get the job done even if it isn't the badass way, right?"

* * *

For almost a year the Village Hidden in the Leaves experienced a lull. It was the eye of the storm. It was the dark hours of the wolf before the dawn of a new day.

Naruto and Sakura, brought together by necessity, entered into a relationship that never really took flight. The unspoken wall that was Sasuke always stood between them. Purpose was served as Naruto took life in stride, slowly, for once in his life. The ardent need for hallowed quests was slaked by a newfound appreciation for peace.

Underneath the village, in the labyrinth, he let loose an arrow. It struck in a flash of light, coring through what was once an immovable object. The dawn of a new day had come, harbinger of a new dangers.

* * *

A/N

Kind of a slow chapter here. It was slow in the writing too. The point of this whole thing is to demonstrate that stuff happens away from the main action that's not flashy. It was all conceived as a very mundane sort of chapter to prepare for a gauntlet of real action. The paucity of some details, especially at the end, reflects this. This was the business that needed to be handled before things heat up.


End file.
